Is your New Year’s resolution to become more organized? To have a more efficient, better run home? Forget reorganizing those closets, save yourself time and stress in 2021 by getting started on your home inventory.

And the best part about making an inventory of the items in your home? It’s the ideal time of year to do it. With the holidays and New Years’ upon us, we are home more, perhaps with time to spare before getting back to the grind.

The benefits of taking stock

Taking stock of the contents of your home is something that you’ll be so thankful for if you have the misfortune in 2021 to go through the trauma of a devastating event such as fire, flood, theft, or hurricane. A record of the items in your home makes filing a claim much easier, and the hour or two that you invest now will be well worth it. Let’s take a look at the long-lasting benefits that a home inventory can offer:

  1. Efficiency

Imagine the emotional upset following a break-in, hurricane, or fire. Could you recall the exact number of electronics in your kitchen or the number of jeans in your closet? What is missing or damaged? An inventory not only makes life easier than trying to recall from memory, but it’s also going to more accurate. You’re more likely to have the item replaced with exact or similar when you have a record.

  1. Time

Make filing a claim as straightforward and speedy as possible with a detailed inventory. You’ll be more prepared for certain emergencies armed with the inventory since you can quickly catalog the loss.

  1. Tax

Having an inventory means that you can substantiate losses for tax purposes.

  1. Insurance purchase

An inventory can help you purchase the correct amount of home insurance and ensure that all items are covered in the event of loss or damage.

Top tips for cataloging your home

OK, so now that you’re determined to make this New Year’s resolution, how are you going to go about it? Follow these simple steps, and you’re on your way to drawing up an effective inventory.

  1. Walk through your home with a video camera or smartphone and describe the items as you go. Detail the brand names, when you purchased it, how much it cost, and as much detail as you can recall.
  2. Start with big-ticket items, such as TVs or other major electronics around the home, jewelry, art, furniture, and other expensive items. Then, move on to other less expensive items, such as clothing, and soft furnishings. You can go room to room, or else by category (such as electronics/clothing/furniture)
  3. Capture as much detail as possible, such as serial numbers, make or model, the value of the item, date purchased – an incomplete record is better than none. Remember to go through closets, attics, and basements.
  4. Update the inventory yearly – the contents of your home change over time.
  5. Keep receipts, or photograph receipts. Store the video footage on a flash drive in a fireproof box, email it to yourself, or upload it to the cloud – just don’t keep it on the camera in the home in case it’s destroyed.

Ready to help

If you have the misfortune to suffer an event such as a fire, flood, or theft, get in touch to schedule a free consultation. We can help you by dealing with the insurance company and maximize your claim. Haahr Law Group is ready to help you put the pieces of your life -and your home- back together.