This is the most wonderful time of the year. Never mind the gifts yet to buy, high-speed competitive parking at your local mall, the hustle and bustle at the grocery stores, or the manic preparations to make your home a holly, jolly setting before family arrives in town.
Forget that noise. This is going to be the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby danced with Danny Kaye.
Turn up the Christmas tunes, wear a sweater even though it's 80 degrees and start getting mentally prepared for all your favorite Christmas traditions.
All you need is for some things to go as expected. That roast beast needs to come out looking like it did when Bobby Flay cooked it on one of his 7 shows. That Christmas bonus you were expecting better drop before you put the down payment on the new swimming pool. And those gifts you ordered online, how about they arrive to your porch on time, unscathed and untampered with?
Though we light up our homes and open up our windows to show off our Christmas trees, home burglaries in Texas take a dip during winter months.
However, a rise in larceny plagues Texas, especially during December as more and more people leave wallets, purses, handbags and shopping bags in their vehicles despite the take, lock, hide warning signs posted outside major stores today.
Thieves have focused on a new target and it's up close and personal. Your porch.
Porch Pinching Pirates
Packages arrive to your door more often at this time of year. For thieves, this is Prime picking season, pun intended. It doesn't seem to matter if you've installed a Ring device or similar camera security system, there's plenty of documented evidence of thieves being just as bold after noticing a camera.
Porch piracy is real, ya'll.
Nothing dampens the Christmas spirit faster than realizing the perfect gift you ordered is now in a thieves possession.
You definitely are a mean one, Mr. Grinch, especially if you steal Christmas. Dr. Seuss wrote a classic about it, Jim Carrey made the character come alive, and real thieves are making your neighborhood a target and keeping that dark holiday spirit alive.
So what do you do if the Grinch pinches the Prime package on your porch?
Know Your Policy
A standard homeowners policy is usually going to cover your belongings whether a theft of those items takes place inside our outside of your home boundaries. Some questions you want to ask regarding your policy, preferably before its written:
- Does your policy only insure you for theft up to certain amounts and for certain items? Does your policy reimburse you for at a replacement cost or actual cost value?
- Does your policy protect you, the policy holder's items only or does it apply to those living under your roof and their belongings?
- What is your deductible? While your homeowner's insurance policy does cover stolen items inside and outside of your property, you must take the deductible you pay before your carrier can reimburse into consideration. If your deductible is $500, is it worth your insurance premium rates to go up if you file a claim for something of lesser value?
Fortunately, at Insurance For Texans, we have answers to those questions. We'll be glad to speak with you about your current homeowners or guide you through your first one.
As added precaution, for shipped items you can't go without, think outside the delivered box. Maybe requiring signature on the shipping, monitoring those camera devices vigilantly, installing adequate motion lights or adjusting your hours to work remotely if possible could deter would-be porch pirates.
As far as protecting your home and its contents, as an independent insurance broker, we have options to great carriers providing coverage you need regardless of where you're at regarding home ownership.
This really can be the most wonderful time of the year and the time spent with your loved ones to cap another year are usually worth the wait and the weight of getting everything you feel needs doing DONE.