You may have heard of, or even created, a home inventory before. But this checklist is unique because we are making it easy for you!
The first step in making a home inventory is getting your hands on a comprehensive checklist, one from your own insurance company is best. Review the checklist before getting started.
Following your checklist, work your way slowly through the entire house - you may want to divvy up the task over several weekends. Record a brief description of each item, how many you have, how much it cost and the year you purchased it.
Use an actual floor plan if you have one; if not, you can create your own simple sketch of each floor of your house. Being as specific as possible, note where in each room boxes or other items are stored.
Gather receipts, credit card statements, appraisal documents and the like, and keep them bundled with your other home inventory materials.
Cutting back on excess multiples can free up a lot of space in your home, but actually getting rid of unneeded things is easier said than done. Your home inventory checklist can make things easier by providing emotional distance.
Now that you've cleared out space in your storage areas, think about ways to make your storage really work for you. One simple but effective strategy is to tuck every single item in storage.
Creating digital backups (photos or scans) of important paper records, photos, kids’ art and other memorabilia can offer peace of mind.
Free up space in cupboards, closets, shelves and counters for the items you actually use daily, and pack away the rest. This is one of the best ways to make your life easier, without getting rid of a drastic amount of stuff.
Anytime you buy something new or get rid of something on your list, pull out that inventory you had made and note the change.
Use a safe-deposit box or an online cloud-based storage system to keep your home inventory and all supporting documents secure.