Making Your ‘Home Content Inventory’ is Quick and Easy!
Your home content inventory is important for you and your family.
It is what the insurance company will reference when reimbursing you should the worst happen. It also will ensure that you have the right amount of coverage. Often we don’t realize just how much all of the things in our homes are worth until we stop to calculate. Going room by room, making note of everything and it’s value is daunting and exhausting. There’s much better ways to do it now! Simply walk through your home, slowly going through drawers and closets while you videotape on your phone. You can easily send the video to your insurance agent. Knowing what is in your home will help ensure you get the right limits in place to protect everything in the event of a catastrophic loss or damage.
Technology to Take Inventory
Our smartphones have made it much easier to take inventory of your items straight from your phone. The most important thing is that with a digital inventory from your phone, uploaded to your cloud, this list is safely stored in a place outside of your home.
There are even apps that you could use to take an inventory! Here is a list of great apps for both apple and android phones to document and store your home’s inventory.
- Sortly (iOS, Android): Best Overall
- Memento Database (iOS, Android, Desktop): Most Versatile
- Nest Egg (iOS): Most Features
- MyStuff (iOS): Best for Organizing Collections
- Magic Home Inventory (Android): Best for Multiple Properties
- BluePlum Home Inventory (iOS): Best for Remote Management
- Smart Inventory System by NonZeroApps (Android): Best for Tracking Quantities
The Simple Process
- Be sure you have enough storage or space on your phone to begin your inventory
- Download a home inventory app if you’d like more information on what to document and how
- Record and walk throughout your home going room by room, document personal property in each one, and opening drawers and closets to be sure to get everything on video and recorded (remember garages and attics as well)
- If you can for each high value item it’s ideal to try to also record each item’s value at the time of purchase, as well as copies of any receipts or serial numbers (this helps your insurer verify it’s value)
- Finish up with recapping your most rare or valuable items. These may not be fully covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy, so you’ll want to review them with your insurance agent to see if you need supplemental coverage. Items like jewelry, antiques, and collectibles often require supplemental insurance.
- Once you’ve covered all the rooms in your home, save your inventory in a secure location. This location should be outside your home, somewhere like an account in the Cloud is a perfect spot, since it is accessible from any device. This will ensure that your inventory does not get lost or damaged if something happens to or in your home.
A Little Time Goes a Long Way
We want you to have the right coverage for your treasures, but not too much coverage that it isn’t beneficial to you. It’s a fine balance, but having a current home content inventory helps us to strike the right balance between coverage and cost. It will also bring items that may be excluded from your policy to your attention, so you can review how to cover those items with your agent. At Waller, we protect, serve & champion America’s best family-owned businesses.