Northeastern Hurricanes On The Horizon: Saturday's New York Times had a story about hurricane preparedness that I want you to see. The paper reminds you that, while it has been a long time since the Northeastern US has suffered a significant hurricane, the potential exists during every hurricane season, and the time to prepare against loss is now. Home Inventory is, of course, a part of the solution.

A home inventory will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your personal possessions. It can also speed the claims process and substantiate losses for income tax purposes. A detailed home inventory is also helpful should you need to apply for disaster aid.

You may live in a place that is safe from hurricane damage. (Tennessee remains unscathed! Tornadoes are another story.) However, regardless of where you live, your risk of loss exists. It may come through natural causes like tornado, hurricane, or lightning. It could come through man-made causes like electrical fires or theft. The fact is that you are at risk if you own personal property, and your insurance carrier has very long forms for you to complete when that time comes. Home inventory can give you back a year of your life, a year that you would otherwise spend haggling with your insurer.

A. J. Farley runs Farley Home Services, a home inventory service based in Middle Tennessee. Please visit EverySingleItem.com, the company website, for more details.

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Two articles relating to the glut of collectibles available these days fill our page today. Not to go all Economics 101 on you or anything, but you'll remember that gluts, of course, are bad news for sellers but good news for buyers. You've heard the old saying, "The rich get richer, the poor get poorer." Never more true than these days, particularly in the antiques and collectibles market. If you are an investor with cash to spend, there are plenty of bargains out there.

Miami Dealers Say It's A Buyer's Market: The Miami Herald is reporting that antiques dealers in and around that city have packed aisles and and are willing to negotiate.

Monica Fidel, a personal-property appraiser in Miami, says this market is suffering just as much as others in the economic downturn but with a few quirks. The market is flooded with items, Fidel says, so the supply is much greater than the demand. Consumers aren't buying antiques or collectibles unless they have plenty of money -- and they're looking for singular or high-end items.

This glut of antiques and collectibles is not limited to the South Florida area by any means.

Charlotte Area Appraisers Staying Busy: The Charlotte Observer says that personal property appraisers in that city have been besieged lately by clients who need to convert their treasures into quick cash.

An appraisal can cost $200 to $400, on average. That risk hasn't stopped the inquiries. Local personal property appraisers say business rose dramatically in the spring. They guess that's around the time people exhausted severance pay or savings accounts and began looking for more creative ways to pay the bills. Louise Phillips of Alexander Appraisal Service in China Grove said she's seen more people who want to sell, as well as forced sales through bankruptcies. People are looking to unload everything from china to furniture to rare plants from their gardens, she said.

Both articles make one point perfectly clear: If you do not have to sell an item right now, it is best to wait until at least a slight upturn in the economy. Otherwise, you simply will not get a fair market price for your item in this climate.

Collectors, remember you need to protect your collections in two ways you may not have done. First, you need an inventory of your household items, paying special attention to your collections. Second, you need a special, inexpensive insurance policy separate from your homeowners to protect your collection. I can help you with the first point, and your local insurance agent can take care of the second.

Farley Home Services stands ready to serve your home inventory needs. Please visit EverySingleItem.com for details.

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Someone In Your World: Daren DiSantis of OfficialWire.com says that there are several advantages to having a local insurance agent, agreeing with me in the process.

Local insurance agents care more about you as a person than anyone else in the insurance business. I'm not saying that because I dislike claims adjusters (quite the contrary!) or any other nonsense like that. I am saying it because your local agent is the person you deal with for your insurance questions and needs. An agent will tell you if some course of action you want to take is the right way to go. An underwriter won't tell you that, a claims adjuster won't, and actuary won't. Agents advise; other insurance people react. That's a significant difference, and if you are buying insurance through an 800 number, you aren't talking to someone who thinks the way you do.

Farley Home Services strongly suggests that you have your own local insurance agent. In nearly every instance you can think of, a local agent is the best insurance professional for you to turn to. I can't emphasize this enough. Local agents will tell you that you need a home inventory too, by the way!

A. J. Farley owns Farley Home Services, your premier home inventory professionals. Please visit our web site at EverySingleItem.com, and thanks for your time today!

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