A home inventory is one of those things you know you should do, but with everything else you have to do, it just doesn’t seem that important. And while our family did not have an inventory when our house was broken into two years ago, an inventory would have made the process a lot easier (and by the way, we have an inventory now!). So why not take the time now and just do it! Here are a couple of easy methods – they’re not perfect but they’re better than nothing.
- Go through your house and take photos of everything – furniture, appliances, electronics, dvd’s, cabinet interiors, drawer interiors, closet interiors – I mean EVERYWHERE and EVERYTHING. Then copy the pictures onto a cd or flash drive and put the cd or flash drive in a safe location, preferably not in your home. The best places would be in a safe deposit box or someone else’s home. You can also save the photos on your computer if you have off-site back-up.
- Go through your house and take video of everything. Again, I mean EVERYTHING. And as before, put the video in a safe location, preferable not in your home.
Neither of these types of inventories provide model numbers, serial numbers or purchase information but they will at least document what you own. And because things change, you’ll need to repeat the process at regular intervals – every six months or once a year, depending on your situation.
So go get your camera and take some pictures!
