Estimating the Value of Electronics for Your Home Insurance
When insuring possessions on homeowners insurance, you have a lot of leeway to choose the limits you want. Yet, the thing about possessions insurance is that your coverage might restrict how much it will pay for items of value, like your electronics. When thinking about the value of these items, take a few extra steps to choose the right policy limits.
What Electronics Do You Own?
Some electronics you want to make sure you insure. The best way to not forget an important item is to make a list. Go from room to room of your home and make note of:
Tablet computers
Mobile phones
Televisions & DVD players
Stereo systems
High-end security systems
Cameras
Smart-Home devices
Once you know what you have, you can begin to gather information on the items’ values. You can also decide which items to insure and which to skip.
Determining Value
When determining an electronic item’s value, checking the receipt is a good place to start. If you don’t have the receipt, you might check the current market value of the item or have it appraised.
Most electronics have two values. First, there is their sticker price, which is the cost of the item when you bought it. Second, there is the item’s cash value. As you use items, they age or newer models enter the market, the cash value will drop below the new-item value.
Getting the Right Coverage
There are some restrictions that your homeowners policy might apply to possessions coverage:
To get adequate coverage for important electronics, you might be able to request full replacement cost coverage instead of cash value coverage. Additionally, you might also be able to schedule a particular item on your home’s coverage. By scheduling an electronic, you can apply a direct limit specifically to that item. You’ll receive guaranteed compensation for the loss as long as the damage was not excluded by the policy.