How to Inventory Household Items: 9 Steps to Create Your Home Inventory
Ready to get started? Follow these 9 steps to create your own home inventory.
Step 1. Create Folders
Start by doing a walk-through of your home, making sure to hit every room in the process. As you go through, create folders (physical or digital) for each room in your house. Don’t forget hallways, closets, utility rooms andstorage shedsor garages.
Step 2. List Your Items
Begin a list for each of the folders and write out every item in each room including clothing, accessories, electronics, appliances, furniture, decorations, linens, artwork, hobby items, collectibles, and heirlooms — anything and everything should have a place in your inventory.
Step 3. Add Notes
As you create your comprehensive list, be sure to add detailed notes that describe each item fully. Include the make, model, serial number, and dollar value when possible. And, if you can, list the store and year purchased.
Step 4. Include Documents
If you’ve hung onto receipts, especially for bigger purchases like furniture or appliances, or have appraisals for jewelry, art, or other collectibles, tuck them into the appropriate folders. If you’re choosing to keep a digital home inventory, simply scan and save the paper copies.
Step 5. Take Photos
A picture is worth a thousand words! Go through your home and take photos of each room and item, especially the expensive ones. If possible, take photos of any model or serial numbers, too. This can be especially useful whenfiling a claim.
Step 6. Record a Video
To take it to the next level and consider taking a video tour of your home. This is a great way to further prove the value of your home’s contents.
Step 7. Attach a Home Appraisal
Including a home appraisal is the best way to show the value of your home should the unexpected occur.
Step 8. Create a Backup Copy
Save your home inventory in a safe place and host a backup copy somewhere outside of your home — whether that’s in an online storage account or your safety deposit box. This way you’ll have access to it no matter what happens.
Step 9. Keep it Current
Be sure to keep your inventory up to date as you acquire new possessions and part with old ones! Regular maintenance is key to ensuring your home inventory is working for you.
Keep Your Household Inventory List Safe
Now that you know the steps to creating your home inventory list, you’re almost done! Set aside some time to record your inventory items and keep it in a safe place. You’ll want to make it easy for you to find, as you’ll need to update the list periodically.
- Anytime you purchase something that you want insured, add it to your list.
- Storing a copy of your home inventory list outside of your home is recommended. Otherwise, it turns into a treasure map should your home be burglarized.
- Consider keeping your list digitally on your computer. Have a backup copy too, just for safe keeping.
- If you prefer a handwritten list, make sure that copy isn’t easily accessible for anyone to find.
- If you decide to use a mobile app for your home inventory list, make sure you know how to properly store and access your files when needed.
Ensure Your Home Inventory Is Covered with American Family Insurance
A home inventory won’t be much use without the right coverage. Contact anAmerican Family agentto get arentersorhomeowners policy(or update an existing one) that has the right coverage limits in place for your belongings. They’ll walk you through everything you need to know so your policy is built to best protect what matters most.
This article is for informational purposes only and based on information that is widely available. We believe this information is accurate but do not make any guarantees or promise any results based on this information.
