(and Elephant Hide Wallpaper)
by Roberta Murphy

I didn’t consider luxury home insurance to be that interesting or that blogworthy until I read of an appraiser who tried to figure out the replacement value of the elephant skin wall coverings in a Seattle manse. That appraiser, James King with the Chubb Insurance Group, makes it a practice to thoroughly investigate the luxe and unusual features in Chubb’s insured luxury homes to make sure a realistic replacement value can be assessed. And sometimes that challenge requires more than a little research.
In the case of the elephant hide wall coverings, King was unable to determine replacement value, especially since the wall covering had been installed at the turn of the last century, before elephant hunting restrictions were in existence. His solution? Value the replacement as leather wallpaper, a very, very expensive treatment and alternative. I’m sure his appraisal stories could fill a large, fine leather-bound book!
After reading this story, I decided to call the Chubb Insurance Group directly to discover other challenges and solutions involved in insuring luxury homes. Mark Schussell, Chubb Vice President and Public Relations Manager, was kind enough to take my call–and patient enough to answer my many questions. Visit http://luxuryhomedigest.com/