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Entry bubble Prepare a Home Inventory – Now!

By: Sommer | January 04, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

Now is the perfect time to prepare a home inventory. It can help you when planning for replacement of furnishings and equipment, purchasing insurance, filing insurance claims, determining your net worth, planning your estate, and more.Living Room

If, like me, you’ve never created a home inventory it sounds like a pretty overwhelming task, doesn’t it? There’s good news – you’ll only have to do it once! In the future, you’ll just have to update your inventory when you purchase new and discard old possessions. If you’d rather hire someone to do an inventory for you, the National Association of Home Inventory Professionals can help you find a professional.

So, where to start?  You can take several different approaches to the inventory like going room-by-room, categorizing your possessions (electronics, furniture, appliances, etc.), newest to oldest, or most to least expensive.  Next, choose the method you’ll use to record all the information.  A simple notebook will suffice, or, you can download a worksheet, take photos, make a video, or even use a computer program.

Regardless of which method you choose, record information such as brand or manufacturer, date purchased, serial number, purchase price, and estimated replacement value.  You can also check with your insurance company to see what information they'll need about your property in the event you have to file a claim.  If you’re a receipt saver like me, now’s the time they’ll come in handy.

Record information about the following items:

  • furniture, carpets, and drapes
  • antiques, artwork and collectibles
  • appliances
  • clothing and other closet contents
  • computer equipment and electronics
  • musical instruments
  • sports equipment
  • garage, attic, and tool shed contents
  • toys, books, and CDs
  • silver and china
  • jewelry and any other valuable items

Once you’ve completed the inventory, keep it in a safe place like a safety deposit box or a fireproof box.  It's a good idea to make a couple copies of the inventory and keep them in different locations. 

Post your stories about how having a home inventory (or not having one) affected your life.  They’ll help light a fire under me (and maybe others) to get one done!

| Post a Comment | View Comments [15] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: disaster   emergency   home   insurance   inventory   property   sommer  

Comments (15):

blue comment bubble Posted by Citizen Jmaximus on January 04, 2008 at 07:22 AM EST

Best place to keep it, online. You can use something like Google Docs or Zoho db. If you store it there, it's safe [unless you forget about it], provided it is only a document, description, or photo. 20 minute long video files will need to stored some where else.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Senor Safe on January 21, 2008 at 02:37 PM EST

To keep my home inventory online (away from fire, flood and thieves), I started to use Namminik. www.namminik.com

It automatically attaches a picture to my items as I enter them (grabs them from the Internet, I imagine). It looks like it's free too.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Bastion Home & Business Blog on January 25, 2008 at 06:21 AM EST

Great post! As one of the NAHIP service providers you referenced in your article, I thought I would share another resource that we utilize for our clients who want to store their inventory online. Check out A Safe Spot (http://asafespot.com).

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blue comment bubble Posted by Phillip Secroro on March 25, 2008 at 04:48 PM EDT

I gone through such a horrible experience because i did not inventory everything in my home. We had a horrible house fire out here and it left me with a couple of rooms completely destroyed. I had a plasma tv, worth 4000 dollars bought at best buy, A complete modern furniture set purchased at http://www.my-homefurniture.com, and a whole room full of electronic equipment completely destroyed. But it was actually the little things that mattered most. A huge amount of baseball cards worth thousands.
All in all it is defintely worth keeping inventory just for insurance sake!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Sommer on March 25, 2008 at 04:57 PM EDT

Phillip,
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss! This is the perfect reason why we should all prepare an inventory of our belongings. I hope you're able to get back on your feet soon.
Sommer

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ryan on April 28, 2008 at 03:39 PM EDT

Hi Sommer,

Great article, very relevant with wildfire season coming up, and actually starting early here in California. We are currently getting ready to launch a new online based home inventory platform called MyVault that is extremely easy to use and as secure as online banking. I'd like to invite everyone to check out the home page where you can sign up to test out the Beta version for free, which should be out just before the summer. As a thank you for testing it out we are also offering 6 free months of service once it is live.

And keep up with the good articles, I look forward to reading more of them!

Ryan
Founder - MyVault
www.myvaulthome.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by Girish on June 11, 2008 at 11:43 PM EDT

Most people do not consider a home inventory an important activity, mostly because of the pain in gathering information. Its probably better to gradually build up information rather than try to do it all in one shot. The best approach for me has been to run around home with a camera and then upload pictures into my PC, eventually add information like value and condition information.

BTW I used Stuff-It http://www.lytecube.com/solutions/stuffit/

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blue comment bubble Posted by wmtls on August 22, 2008 at 10:16 AM EDT

Total Logistics Solutions will be hosting several Conference Calls to recruit Home Inventory Specialist Prospects
Burbank, August 22, 2008 -- Total Logistics Solutions today announced that after the success of their first call, they will be hosting a series of calls to recruit more Home Inventory Specialist prospects.
Total Logistics Solutions recently began selling home inventory software to the public in October, 2007 just prior to the California fires. With the successful launch of the software and the growing demand for its services, Total Logistics Solutions will now begin allowing individuals the opportunity to become Home Inventory Specialist. “Because of the growing demand for our product and services and with the success of our initial call, we felt this was the perfect time to allow individuals to get involved.” Said, Tiffany Victor, VP of Consumer Products, “We also know many people are beginning to look for jobs more locally to subsidize the rising cost of gas”.
Home Inventory Specialist will perform inventories for home and business owners in the event of a disaster. Rene’ Jones, the company’s founder and CEO said, “This is not just an opportunity to make money, it is an opportunity to make a difference!” He went on to say, “We have provided a vehicle for individuals to help their families, friends, their communities, etc. By offering the company’s inventory know-how to the general public. We have moved our knowledge of inventory from the warehouse to the living room”.
The calls will be held on the second and fourth Monday of every month, the next one will be August 25th. They will be hosted by Total Logistics Solutions’, VP of Consumer Products Division, Tiffany Victor, who will be joined by the company’s Founder and CEO, Rene’ Jones. Along with other members of the company’s senior management team. They will last approximately 20 to 30 minutes with 5 minutes for Q&A. Only the first 150 people will be allowed on each call.
“This is an excellent way to subsidize an income or to earn a living.” Said, Tana Jackson one of the company’s Home Inventory Specialist in San Diego, California.
To access the call, dial (218) 936-1600 (domestic) at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled 6:30 p.m. start. The participant access code is 8070958. Replays of the conference call will not be made available to the public. To read more about the conference call visit http://www.itstime2cya.com/HomeInventorySpecialist_ConferenceCall.htm. An archive of the call will be available to employees only.
Individuals interested in learning more about Total Logistics Solutions products and services and visit their website at www.itstime2cya.com or www.logisticsociety.com.
Total Logistics Solutions, Inc. was named on the “Top 100” supply chain and logistics organizations in 2007 by Supply and Demand Chain Executive magazine. Cover Your Assets is a consumer based product developed and distributed solely by Total Logistics Solutions, Inc. employees and its independent associates. CYA™ is inventory software developed for homeowners for the purposes of maximizing a return on your insurance investment. Total Logistics Solutions, Inc. asset management division uses the same concept for corporations throughout the US and Canada.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Valerie Petersen on October 06, 2008 at 05:06 PM EDT

We are Dallas Metro Home Inventory.

We do full service inventories for homes and business in the Dallas Ft. Worth Metroplex area.
Web site: dallashomeinventory.com

The choice to do you own inventory vs. having a home inventory specialist need not be so hard, Or do I keep my own inventory or keep it in cyberspace?

If you have had this task on your To-Do list for more than 6 months, you wont do it yourself. We could do it for you.

If you want to check on a company in your area each city has record of DBA's on line. Ask for references. There are some efforts to organize the Home Inventory Business professionals, I think that will come soon, it is a fairly new industry.

Check with your Insurance agent, they also can give you help in your selection.

There are many reasons for having a current Home Inventory:
Fires, floods and theft are just some of the reasons.
Moving/Re-locating, divorce, Estate planning are excellant reasons as well.

Call us if you have any questions: 972-690-7952 ask for Valerie or Robin

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blue comment bubble Posted by Homemaker and Collector on November 30, 2008 at 09:10 AM EST

Your article has made me start doing a better job of keeping inventory of home's large antique bottle collection. It can be easy to for forget that even little things like old bottles can have value too!

Thanks again for your disaster advice!

Amy Williams
www.bottleantiques.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by Pete on August 31, 2009 at 01:40 PM EDT

This is a fantastic idea. When I did it, I was amazed at all of the things that I own. If I had to do it after my things were destroyed or stolen, I would have left out a lot of items.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Cat Jarritt on September 18, 2009 at 06:46 AM EDT

We lost half the games room in a fire - the pool table was ruined, and my son's cherished Oakland Raiders Pub Sofa that we got for Christmas was a gonner. These were the big things that we could remember and had accounted for - so that was not such a problem. However, like a previous poster, my husband's baseball card collection was lost and that was the biggest blow of all. I have a tip for those who don't want to (or cannot) pay for the services of an inventory specialist.
We knew we had to get this done and we got the kids to help by making it a kind of store-game for the kids. In each room I would walk over and ask how much this particular item in the "store" was. I was the customer, the kids played the storekeeper and my husband was their stockman. We swapped these roles for variety. They made sure that he noted down the costs and items that would need replenishing after I bought them. OK so they weren't buying into this all day, but it meant we could get at least *some* enjoyment out of the task and we got some help into the bargain. Over a couple of weekends we got the whole home done for free.
We now have a full inventory of even the smallest things and my kids are now well-versed in the art of inventory and auditing :)

Cat Jarritt
www.pubsofa.com

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blue comment bubble Posted by Serialtra on September 30, 2009 at 10:28 PM EDT

Serialtrak is a company that provides a home inventory which would be invaluable in the unfortunate incident of a fire, natural disaster or burglary. The process is very simple, and depending on the size of your property, can usually be completed in less than two hours.

First they digitally record the entire exterior and interior of your home or business. This is done to document the current condition of the walls, doors and flooring. Next they go room to room recording and photographing every item worth more than $50. They include details such as purchase price, serial numbers and model numbers. They will include items in a garage or storage area if necessary. If the customer chooses they can also mark valuable property using an INVIS-ID kit, which is invisible ink. Police recommend this procedure because in the case of theft it makes your property easier for them to track.

Third, they place Serialtrak Home Inventory Stickers on the exterior of your residence stating in English and Spanish that your property has been recorded and photographed. This is an effective way to deter burglars from your property.

Finally, they load all of the information onto their website so that you can have access to the inventory from anywhere and at any time. They create a CD of your inventory as well as a paper copy. In the case of a burglary, fire or other natural disaster they will help your insurance company and the police get a copy as soon as possible. Storing this important information away from your home assures that you will have it should you become the victim of fire or burglary.

Apartment inventories start as low as $29 and homes start at $99.

For more information about Serialtrak see their website at www.serialtrak.com or call 1-877-SRL-TRAK.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Mike Orme on October 24, 2009 at 04:11 PM EDT

I can't stress enough how important a home inventory is.

Unfortunately you won't realise it until it's too late. Think of it as an insurance policy. I clean carpets for high end rentals and I can tell you some of my clients have regretted not doing this due to uncarring tenants.

Lettings firms do this as a matter of course and insist and paying for a trustworthy service.

www.carpetcleaning-somerset.co.uk

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