I posted something on the married Life board, but long story short one week before Christmas my home burnt down, we were renting to hopefully buy and did not purchase the insurance.... BUY THE INSURANCE.. EVEN RENTERS INSURANCE.. it's worth every penny. Take it from someone who knows what happens when you don't have it..
AND SINCE YOU ALL ARE BUYING HOMES...GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER.. THEY ARE LITERALLY $20 AT WALMART. Don't be the one who says "it won't happen to me".. just do it. And always, always, always check your fire alarms. Mine were monitored by ADT and STILL did not go off. Don't trust that the thing will "beep" when the batteries are dying.. prevent a fire!
That is all.
Re: Lost my home to a fire...get the insurance.
I am so- sorry to hear about this! How awful! It sounds like, and I dearly hope, that you and your family are all alright. I'll be thankful for that.
Thank you for sharing, it is very good advice. I hope that you are doing well.
Lighthouse State Beach, Santa Cruz.
Thank you for posting. Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers save lives.
My BIL was renting a home last May that burned down. He died in the fire. There were no working smoke detectors in the house. If there had been, he would probably still be alive. Our family is now in the middle of a wrong death suit with the landlord.
I'm glad that your family made it out ok. Hope you are doing well.
I'm sorry to hear about your fire. That sounds awful.
I'd also recommend people get a fireproof safe. We have one to keep important things - passports, birth certificates, titles, etc in so it wouldn't be lost in a fire.
~2012 Races~
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UIVA Warrior Challenge - 5K 22:06
Iowa City River Run - 10K 44:37 PR!
Green Bay Marathon 5/20/12
THIS! Thank you for adding.. this is very important!
That is awful! I hope you can get back on your feet soon. And Desmond I'm sorry for your loss.
But all good advice. Get Renters insurance it's $20-$30 a month. Get a fire proof safe. You can find them on Amazon for $30. Make sure all your smoke detectors are working correctly. We had to fight with our landlord just to get a second one in our condo. She had one and said we only need one. NOT TRUE! There should be at least one on every floor and one in every bedroom. At least. Call your local Fire Marshal, they will tell you everything you need to know.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Also, make sure to check the expiration date on fire extinguishers. I think mine needs to be replaced soon.
The "rule" for smoke detectors is to change the batteries when you set the clocks back or forward, so twice a year.
My apartment didn't have smoke detectors when I moved in (even though it's a law), so we bought some before I would even spend a night there. However, I'm pretty sure my neighbor (we live in a duplex) doesn't have them. :-/
Oh, and we have an earthquake rider on our insurance, which means we pay closer to $40/month, but it's worth it (the damn rider is almost as much as the insurance!).
40/112
Good luck to you as you move forward. I can't imagine.