There is an old cliché that a person’s home is a castle. Unfortunately, most people will realize that when it comes to security, that old adage just is not true. Be it theft or disaster, there is always a possibility that something can happen to your personal belongings. If you move from one home to another, this prospect also becomes an issue as you have to wonder if your cherished possessions will be broken or lost in the move. That is why you may wish to consider creating a home inventory so that you can make settling a future claim more convenient and more beneficial to you.
If your house is destroyed in a fire or a flood, would it be possible for you to recall every piece of clothing that you owned right down to the color and number of your shoes, shirts, pants, dresses, and socks? Would you be able to recollect all of your books, DVDs, and video games? Or would you remember every single cooking utensil or garage tool that you owned? That is why a property inventory can be so important and it is also so relatively easy to create. Digital cameras are everywhere, so even if you just use your cellphone’s picture-taking capabilities, all it takes is some time to create an accurate inventory.
What you want to do is go room by room through every part of your house taking pictures of everything that you want to record. Since you aren’t paying for film or video-tape, there is no need to hold back. Simply get pictures or video of everything. Open up your drawers and closets to document all of your clothing. Go through the jewelry box to make a detailed account of every piece of jewelry that you own. If you can, be sure to record the serial numbers of these items as well. If they are stolen and wind up in a pawn shop or a police evidence room, the serial numbers you document can be used to tie them back to you as your property. You should also remember that this is not just for big ticket items like television sets, laptops, computers, and stereos. It can be for all of the little things you take for granted like your children’s toys, your books and DVDs, your clothes, and your exercise equipment.
Now that you have pictures, sit down with each one and create a list of the item. This can be done easily on a computer spreadsheet, particularly so you can keep track of serial numbers. Be sure to save this sheet to your computer, back it up somewhere off-site such as to “the cloud” or Dropbox and print a hard copy for your reference.
Finally, be sure to save your pictures to a safe medium such as a DVD or a memory-stick. In fact, be doubly sure and make a back-up of this. Then, store the pictures either in a fire-proof safe or in the safety deposit box at your bank. You can also upload them to an online storage site as you did with the spreadsheet. This is to ensure that in the event of a disaster, you can have access to your pictures as evidence for your insurance claim.
If you like this article you also be interested in Why Tooth Paste is Your Best Friend During Moving Day and our article on Tips for those buying, selling and moving abroad
If your house is destroyed in a fire or a flood, would it be possible for you to recall every piece of clothing that you owned right down to the color and number of your shoes, shirts, pants, dresses, and socks? Would you be able to recollect all of your books, DVDs, and video games? Or would you remember every single cooking utensil or garage tool that you owned? That is why a property inventory can be so important and it is also so relatively easy to create. Digital cameras are everywhere, so even if you just use your cellphone’s picture-taking capabilities, all it takes is some time to create an accurate inventory.
What you want to do is go room by room through every part of your house taking pictures of everything that you want to record. Since you aren’t paying for film or video-tape, there is no need to hold back. Simply get pictures or video of everything. Open up your drawers and closets to document all of your clothing. Go through the jewelry box to make a detailed account of every piece of jewelry that you own. If you can, be sure to record the serial numbers of these items as well. If they are stolen and wind up in a pawn shop or a police evidence room, the serial numbers you document can be used to tie them back to you as your property. You should also remember that this is not just for big ticket items like television sets, laptops, computers, and stereos. It can be for all of the little things you take for granted like your children’s toys, your books and DVDs, your clothes, and your exercise equipment.
Now that you have pictures, sit down with each one and create a list of the item. This can be done easily on a computer spreadsheet, particularly so you can keep track of serial numbers. Be sure to save this sheet to your computer, back it up somewhere off-site such as to “the cloud” or Dropbox and print a hard copy for your reference.
Finally, be sure to save your pictures to a safe medium such as a DVD or a memory-stick. In fact, be doubly sure and make a back-up of this. Then, store the pictures either in a fire-proof safe or in the safety deposit box at your bank. You can also upload them to an online storage site as you did with the spreadsheet. This is to ensure that in the event of a disaster, you can have access to your pictures as evidence for your insurance claim.
If you like this article you also be interested in Why Tooth Paste is Your Best Friend During Moving Day and our article on Tips for those buying, selling and moving abroad