Up in Flames

Neil on the season of Mr. Stillman's opus.

I'm spending some time interviewing my clients here at Rosewood wealth management over the years I've had the chance to work with a lot of different people and a lot of them have really interesting stories to tell. Maybe they have a really neat job they've accomplished something very impressive work.

Maybe they just had things happen to them in life, good or bad. That makes for interesting stories today.

I'm talking with Gary and Nancy Williford. They came by to talk about their experience of having their house burned down. Their son had a cooking accident in the kitchen of their relatively new home in Oxford, North Carolina, and a fire started. That caused essentially a total loss of the home and everything they owned. They were kind enough to share their story of the immediate aftermath of the fire navigating insurance claims and the rebuilding process as well as Gary's lingering anxiety issues from the ordeal and they have some great tips for actions that you can take now to make life easier for you. In the event that one day you find yourself is one of the unlikely one out of roughly 300 Americans to lose your home to a fire.

So here's my conversation with Gary and Nancy so guys just walk me through that day you wake up and it's just like any other day, and by the end of the day.

Life is change pretty substantially so walk me through the events of that day and ate lunch at the lake.

The laying house just thinking for having blessings I hadn't. I got back to work and my brother-in-law called and said Nancy is is a day at home. Yet he try sleeping or searching me so I was just her here in the semi having the inspections Department, and said he just heard something about our address we have the same physical address and so I try to call aging can get him and talk on the car and went home. He said it was a far, and so I tried to down them all the way home and I never dial itself. So I knew before I got there that it was our house and cleaning drive up and there's no flashing lights everywhere in the fire trucks are they are and you walk up the driveway. My son is sitting in the driveway and just just crying and I said a Jerry hurt now so then don't worry. And so you know they're just rolling all the hoses out. They put out the fire really wasn't tremendous. I mean it was very hot fire but it didn't burn the house to the ground so it's just really black inside. I called Gary and I called my other son at work and none went inside to get the paper was thankfully still could go once I get the paperwork for the insurance company and how the insurance company you know from their insurance and the guy who's the head of the insurance company in our county was on his way to Raleigh.

So stop by and Tina called his first person you see in time she came Monica Gary was home by point on my brother-in-law stayed with me through the whole thing in is just like a surreal penne can't. You know you can't stay there. We went next door to my sister and her husband's house and they fed us dinner and then we went to Walmart stand and Walmart lightning which you own is what you got own or which you had in your car that day, senior your mind enough to no sleep that night toiletries, you know, pillows for the bed and in enough close to to last a couple of days and then mom we went to a hotel that night I memset in the hotel just got a find somewhere to live because I knew he's already been through fire one time before and he was panicked about where we only have so I actually pretty much found us an apartment in Creekmore before, yet there was gonna be available for you went to sleep that night. It was this you you been through fire before.

What was that about 10 years old and was very very similar. It was all he was basically she'll the house was intact but everything inside of the house was extensive heat smoke damage so that everything was ruined. Nothing was salvageable. What were you able to salvage. I'm sure you're able to grab at least a couple of things other well my iPad was under the covers of my bed. Our bed was our bedrooms, the farthest thing in the house.

If I had some clothes that were out of season that were in boxes and they were salvageable late took them to the cleaners, but anything that was open had slipped all over it. So many of our closets. We sound strain will have closet doors very small house so I'll close headset all are from seven none none of that was salvageable so Excel so you find a hotel room for Maslow's hierarchy of needs right so it's for schedule to back and care of you eat anything water sort of the next steps what what has to happen first but we did go to a rental agency. The next morning, see if there were house available there.

There was a house available like Hendersons like Tina Marie, where Mark Rilling to go that foreign the apartment that was available was only a two bedroom apartment. There's four of us, but the only other things to be available still be a month down the roof except wheat we scarfed up the. The two bedroom apartment as fast as we could just so we would know we had somewhere to live relatively close to our house was when close to the house will rebuilding and I guess the next day we met.

The adjuster came out and went to the house right little fuzzy on that was the next day or the day after, but I'm Yamane it's my one thing I did the night because I was in the construction business anyway. You know they want to pull the plug. Tina pull the power own house. I called the electrician who did our house and he came over and turned everything off so that the electrical company did not actually pull the plug entirely from the house and him. He actually said that anything whatever you do don't let them come in here and spray these walls down and say it's okay to live in again telling the have to get the house so the lady the first lady came from insurance Co. the first night gave us a couple names of reconstruction company since she said for this company even even if I had to wait I would wait for them and upset he might been the first one we saw the next day he went to the house and basically said yet where Scott got it in a back to the stud walls but good things.

Everything's old floor.

All the sheet rock resolve all the ceiling over you when you stand in the house afterwards.

Good all you see is the underside of the roof and the stud walls rafters and stood walls of even great that even working toilets out when the only thing that was left of them stood walls was our glass shower that they did clean and review. So what were the things I mean, obviously, most of it is just stuff that's replaceable for the things that want replaceable but you lost pictures obviously mostly your stuff that you come from your mother, your folks, I don't really have a lot pushing my mother painted and it's almost what were the paintings that I wanted that thing I sent to.

I told everybody. My take away was you hold on your possessions very lightly, because they can be taken away from you know bison hospital.

No vice in the morgue. Everything else can be replaced little bit of background, she'd already lost jewelry true.

She got from her mother because someone broke into her house burglarized six months prior.

You should move so walk me through the insurance process. What how big her pain was that would pretty easy to deal with or was it just yet how much you need here to check. I was remembering afflicted the first night.

The lady is. She is very helpful and I think she actually wrote us a check today. She wrote a check that for annoyances going to need something to live off and though we we know we would be very frugal.

We had savings we needed, but somebody did have a lot of savings that would been very helpful home. I just have to say our insurance company was wonderful. Farm Bureau meat. We've had numbing. That's the only insurance company. We've had a policy with entire time been married a sickly that I mean they were. They were wonderful really have no complaints with a good policy.

It was a did have the replacement part of which we which we will mail say live through it is is worth the money is worth the money that's one thing, age, if you don't know what your insurance policy is name you need to find out was because as we were talking about a replacement. The first thing I knew I had to replace my computer. My computer was on kitchen counter and said that was one of the hottest places that not knowing the replacement side of it and I was out on eBay look in and bought a used computer and we can find out something Nancy or we got a replacement policy replace that because the thing I lost it was less valuable to me was my PM saw that looking for used pianos and he said what do they still make that PM said we they didn't exist, but you see is combining so idea. We really didn't fully understand what those who will not want to quickly audiences please who has questions about get policy what you have, what you don't and the other thing the day. With the advent of cell phones and every take a picture in your house. In our case, our house didn't burn down we were able to pull everything out on the carport counted register what we had take pictures of it that you know if your house were to burn to the ground and you have any pictures like on your cell phone. At least you know what you have to cheat, you don't really know what you have, you me when you cumulative things for 1020 3040 years. The boys got a memory good enough to know what you just lost so it's a couple years ago would been going through some of Molly's mom stuff is boxes VHS tapes and stuff really pop.

This actually had to go by the VCR somewhere to some see what songs of these VHS tapes and a pop. One of the men in his Molly's moms walking through the house with a video camera narrating each room. What were you doing what it what is this big moralize for that would always ask you was Weaver insurance yet, but she was going through and narrating each thing the house probably the only person I've ever known is actually done that but it's a really good thing to exactly so.

How long did this whole process take to get everything rebuilt so he read the fire was January 11 and we moved back into the house may, but first we could my first week and we can that strikes me as pretty fast. It actually was pretty fast so he was actually a little bit quicker than their first assessment that they gave us. Now we have a very small house still coming out 2000 square-foot house 1100 square-foot so you move back in, is basically a house built back to what it was before. Did you realize all what we should have different floors. This time, let's do it this way, your house, that'll work now well the house is only two years old anyway so you know we built it. We've been years in planning this house and so no wheat we didn't change anything. The only thing we changed was I had a vent in the kitchen that was recirculating and I want them on the vented outside. That's really the only thing in. How sweet is that we custom build else to our own plans with Ora going through the process so we were already thrilled with letter trying to end and fortunately Nancy should get such great records, great documentation was very easy to say to the guys that were doing the rebuilding.

Since this is what our kitchen sink was this what our refrigerator was. This is what is the model for commode knowing where what work was okay here's the number for the paint could replace so it's all rebuilt you move back in.

It would be tempting to think that's the end but I know Gary is specifically for you.

At least you got a carry some anxiety with you for a while after that what we through with that look like you will you I was at work at Duke University health system for years and stressful job and you know you good towards the end of my career anyway so you know I was probably not handling stress very will managing stress very well anyway, so we had the break in six months before the far and if you've never had your home broken into burglarized sort of like a real invasion of your of your space is a real personal invasion and then we went through the fire hall and so me after that. It was kind of hard for me to function. Nancy was one of us taking over immediately after the fire was kind of running running things that she said to get us into home into a home, you will know hotels and also into an apartment actually even after Wallace's you know I'm not. I'm just not returning back to hundred percent like it was at work and spoke about talk about some usages what what you do therapist to go to a therapist over the room.

After about three sessions she she pinpointed since you know really is not so much the stress and anxiety would what you are still trying to get past a strong sort of June actually say it but she described PTSD, so it was very for me. I was just very traumatic event and it just took took me a long time to get on the other side of the exam still struggling with even a little bit today so that was one of the things that all thing is you are helpful in getting us to get me to a retirement because moving into retirement. Certainly healthy healing process. So maybe some trouble focusing at work in general for, and then having that off your plate, but you still struggle something will the issues you still have ongoing events like getting in big crowds or for unified speak and for the people which is what my job was a lot about the project manager you lead people and speak to a lot of people speak and cry hose run meetings so are you the one that releases virus so that you would never have to be in front of no no can't say that I believe that came out from UNC while you know if you've been making some bad soup at your house believe UNC was doing the recently tried to take which must so all in all. Looking back on it.

What would be the main things that yummy sounds like you have pretty impeccable records. That's a good thing to be thankful for all is well. Is it one more thing, because the house was kneeling me about a lot of the stuff that was in the house from Amazon. We had records of everything repurchased and so is your you're claiming what you've lost in a yet to give a replacement cost how much it will cost. So anytime you have an account rather than just buying it as a guest you know you have a record and we were able to really use that is documentation for for that great point yet. Do you know the insurance company was his will and in the guy help you succeed you really need to do good record-keeping and my wife took that very much. The harp is whether the game is to three little template forms. Forms are not doing so less paper for and we make copy after copy after copy of we turned in a green paper because we were able to go through an inventory pull everything out from the closet under the bed. We meet it's hard to believe we actually inventoried every can of soup every bottle of ketchup if it was in the fridge right if it was in the pantry to every towel and washcloth all the toiletries.

All the dishes and we we just went through.

Chi-Chi did a wonderful job and that was what helped us tremendously. After she flooded our adjuster with so much augmentation after well he just talked even question from your folks are just great them a check to be done with pieces says yeah okay yeah just keep asking and he would just is in question any of the dent that was how we would get a whole lot of money back. We could go out and buy replacement stuff, did you really end up having to pay anything out-of-pocket to get it back to where you wanted to be all we know when we head home deductible and there was. There may have been wonderful to upgrades. We did like her bid. Her bid wasn't upgrade offer what we had before, so that was a little bit out-of-pocket, but we did I have that documented in NE that so we just have to pay the difference above the cost to replace yet somehow turned in what it would cost to purchase the bed exactly like what we had in this is that we purchased and they paid for the replacement cost of what we had. Is there anything looking back on it where you say man I wish we'd known this beforehand.

I wish we'd done this differently we would been more prepared going into it doesn't sound like there could be a lot more.

You would have needed now. I think the fact that the house was new. Anyway, is part of that because I had all the records from Avondale that I mean it would been a house we been in 20 years probably wouldn't of been like that all is that you mention in this as you and you so first thing with the VCR tape. If you're not in a position like this.

We've got pretty good records and some we just built two years ago.

It really would behoove you to really take the TDS non-fun time to just inventory at least the major things in your I also know we didn't have any things that work would be considered collectibles any questionable items you know what was new wasn't a Rembrandt on the wall or anything like that so ours was pretty pretty easy compared to some of your Andy Griffith DVDs were replaceable. They were replaceable. My thanks to Gary and Nancy for sharing your story. The main thing that struck me from this conversation was how much trouble you can save yourself later in the event of a tragedy by going to a little bit of extra effort now doing those things, like the inventory of your belongings to catalog everything that you have in the homework.

No making sure that everything you buy online is under a user account instead of just checking out as a guest bought that's a pretty good lesson for a lot of things in life, you know, enduring just a little bit of headache upfront to save yourself a much bigger potential headache later. Thanks for tuning into Mr. Stillman's opus and will talk with you again soon