The bright and relentless Texas sun has given way to rain clouds for the first time in a while.  Three little girls with linked hands and wildly blowing hair are walking down the street being led by their mother.  The birds that usually prance by my window disappeared hours ago before I received the message of a possible storm.  The rain is always a welcomed diversion from 105 degree heat.  The lightning, on the other hand, makes me think of wildfires.  I wonder if my rental insurance covers damage from porch plants being torched by bolts of electricity.

This week was supposed to be something bittersweet.  I have two days off of work to spend time with Albert before his departure next week.  Today was supposed to bring me news of a Graduate Assistantship at school, but instead brought news that I would have to wait until the 20th at the earliest to find out.  (A G.A. would give me in-state tuition and additional income, which is much needed.  Add in, my first payment on my exorbitant tuition bill is due the 21st.)  I am due to have a phone interview to possibly work with a local institution of higher learning.  Turns out, I have to drive to Austin to take three hours worth of testing by the time of my interview.  I am working with them to attempt to stop in after I take him to the Austin airport, but no one seems to want to compromise.

So I am essentially back at square one… thankful for tomorrow’s adventure and running on the treadmill of my career instead of climbing the ladder of success.

There are many things you should consider when you live in an apartment in the US. Safety, monthly rents, and room sizes are examples. However, there is one more thing you should not forget. That is renters insurance.

When you make a lease contract of an apartment, your room itself and its equipments are usually covered by the owner’s insurance. However, such insurance doesn’t cover the tenant’s goods. Thus, you need to contract with an insurance company by yourself to protect your personal property by renters insurance in case of an accident such as fire.

It is often the case that renters insurance also includes liability protection. America is a litigious society as it is often said, but liability protection of renters insurance protects you when you get involved in a litigation related to your apartment.

One more advice when you sign up for renters insurance is to include a clause to cover personal property replacement cost in an agreement. With this clause, you are paid the cost to replace damaged goods. In contrast, renters insurance covers only the present value of your property without the clause.

News

(KVAL News – Oregon )  After a fire destroyed all of her family’s belongings, a Eugene-area woman is warning all renters to purchase insurance.

“You can’t save the sentimental things, of course, but at least if you have children, there is something” if you have insurance, said Rhea Chrismer. “You can replace their bedrooms again.”

A fire destroyed Chrismer’s rented house and garage last Monday, charring most of the family’s belongings. The cause of the fire has not been determined and the investigation is on pause unless new information surfaces, according to Heather Miller with Lane County Fire District 1.

Chrismer, boyfriend Micheal Kezer and Chrismer’s three children were not home. The family was renting the property on Territorial Road but did not have renters insurance.

According to a Farmers Insurance branch in Eugene , the average person will pay less than $200 a year for a renters insurance policy.

“We’re not going to let this stop our little family,” she said. “I’m learning good things come from bad things. You meet really good people.”

People like the passerby who saw smoke coming from the house Monday, searched the rooms for people and finding none, let the family’s dogs outside. The dogs survived.

People like the communities of Crow and Lorane, who have offered clothes and started fundraising efforts. If you would like to donate to the family, an account has been set up at the Selco Bank on Gateway Street. Mention the Kezer Family Fund.

To see a short video of this story, click here: http://www.kval.com/news/49463987.html

Can’t sell? Rent with an Option to Buy

Car rental expenses are more difficult to control than any other forms of travel. It is because of all the extra equipments, surcharges and fees. Features like Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation, insurance policy, fuel, drop-off policy, late return policy, taxes and many other charges always makes car rental expense unpredictable. The main difficulty is that you can’t know the total bill for car rental service until you return the car.

When we are planning a next trip, we are looking in search engines – Google or Yahoo, for the best possible car rental deals. Because of different marketing efforts from an online travel provider side, usually we can find some low rental rate. However, when we are at the rental desk in the airport the car rental clerk is asking tens of questions, like – would like to have GPS navigation, do you need insurance, we can upgrade your car for just $5 more per day and so on. In the end, you are confused and earlier arranged low rental rate disappears. Therefore, below you can read a couple of things you need to know before rent a car.

Deposit

If you plan budget for your travel, then you need to take into account the deposit which car rental company will block in your credit card while you use the car. Usually it is the same amount as your total car rental costs. When you will return the car, they will unblock it, and it will be available for you within next 14 days.

Insurance

It is the most dangerous feature where you can start to lose prior booked low car rate. There are several insurance types, including, but not limited – Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS), Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) and Personal Effects Coverage (PEC). Generally, insurance for a car rental can cost you from $8 up to $40 per day. From all insurance types, I totally counted 25, you should to consider to take CDW and LIS. CDW will cover repair and replacement costs for a car, LIS protects you from lawsuits if you have injured anyone or damaged property when driving.

However, before you take some of the car rental insurance, you should to check if you already haven’t some of it, included in some other insurance. Sometimes your credit card provider includes traveler insurance that already covers car rentals risks. If it is the case, you should to read terms and conditions of it very carefully, as you might need to pay for car rental services with this exact credit card, and it can also be with different restrictions. In addition, if you purchase travelers insurance separately then you can include car rental insurance that will be enough in order to cover possible risks.

GPS Navigation

It will cost you from $8 up to $15 per day. If you are regular renter or your rental period is more than seven days, then you may consider to purchase GPS navigation separately, as seven-day rental expenses for it compose at least half of its price in some online shop.

Late Return Policy

It is very important to take into account late return policy. In majority of car rental companies, it is 30 minutes after the time you arrange for return. If you will return a car later, you will need to pay full day rental price.

Overall, if the deposit can only save some embarrassing moments for you, then other features – insurance, GPS navigation and late return policy can save you hundreds of dollars in long rentals.

Chris Garlasco, Owner & Managing Partner – Founders Insurance Group

If you are like many of us in the north, you probably spent the entire winter planning your upcoming vacation. You scoured the internet for the best air fare. You found a great room facing the ocean. You went out and bought a new bathing suit and a new tube of sun block to go along with it. You left no stone uncovered. You got a great rate on a rental car and even took the time to call your agent to make sure that your auto policy covered you so you didn’t have to pay for that outrageously expensive rental car insurance coverage.

Chances are that your agent told you that as long as you have full coverage (Collision) on your auto policy that there would be no need to purchase the rental insurance coverage. Your agent was wrong! Unfortunately, in an honest effort to save you some money, this is a mistake agents make all too often.

Here’s the deal, the collision coverage that you are carrying on your own auto policy does
cover a collision that you may have had with the rental car. However, there is no provision in your auto policy to cover you for “loss of use.” Simply put, the rental car company will charge you their daily rental rate for each day that their car is in the shop and out of service. So, that nice convertible that you got for $40 per day is now out of action for three weeks while being fixed, your insurance company covers the damage, but the $821 loss of use hits your credit card since that car can’t be rented out to someone else. It is my understanding that there are a couple of states that have prohibited this practice; Connecticut is not one of them. When you do purchase that coverage, be sure that the rental agent points out this specific coverage. One other key note to keep in mind, the rental car company may place a large hold on your credit card while waiting for your company to settle the claim.

Thanks again for spending some time with me!

Your humble risk manager,

Chris Garlasco

One of the frequently irritating things about car rental insurance is not so much what is covered, Usuallyfrequently incorporated into the daily rate of rental by the car hire company, the waiver usually comes with a hefty excess attached – anything from a few hundred pounds to well over £1,000 in some parts of the world. The rental company is therefore likely to offer its customers the option of an additional insurance to cover all or part of the excessThis is not the case, however, since parts such as the tyres or wheels, glass or windows, roof and underside of the car are frequently excluded from the waiver agreementSuch a potentially expensive risk can be avoided altogether, however, by purchasing insurance cover – which typically extends to all parts of the vehicle – from an independent specialist in advance. Policies bought from an independent car rental insurance specialist, it is only when you arrive at the check-out desk to pick up the car that you discover just what has been left out of the advertised package and how much you will need to pay to top it up to a level of insurance cover that will give you financial security and peace of mind. For many drivers, however, the level of such cover is perilously close to the barest minimum and “top up” cover will be needed to provide protection against third party claims which can be very expensive.

RISMEDIA, April 18, 2009-(MCT)

It is, unfortunately, an all-too-familiar news image: An apartment building smolders in the hours after a major fire. Continued

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Your friend in the real estate business,

Shelli Dore

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…Remember! The next time you are in a conversation with someone who is thinking about a move – IN ANY CITY OR STATE IN THE US OR CANADA – call me first! I can help make sure your friends, family members and work associates are very well taken care of.