Easy Inventory

2:00 AM. “Water has flooded the upper floor and is puddling in the light fixtures downstairs. The carpet is soaked, the ceiling is coming down and the floor is ruined!” What followed was a disaster recovery project that lasted months and required all items in the house to be removed and either placed in a dumpster or a storage unit.

Fire, water damage or theft can be disastrous even if fully covered by insurance. At some point in an insurance claim process, you will be required to provide a list of items lost. We didn’t have a full list of items lost so we were left to rely on our memory alone. The insurance company required proof of the item and its value. Our claim fell way short of reimbursing us for our loss.

Experts suggest making a thorough inventory of the contents of the home and save it in a secure location. Don’t let it be so overwhelming that you put it off. Attached are tips on making the process easy and painless.

Home Inventory tips

Getting it done is the most important thing. We chose to take photos using our smartphone and its own automatic online storage. We took less than an hour and now have the peace of mind that we at least have an off-site record.

· Insurance portals. Many insurance companies have free inventory tools for storing images of household items and receipts. Some of these are structured as item by item cataloging requiring you to describe the item then upload photos and copies of receipts for each item. This can be helpful for expensive items but cumbersome to list every item in the home. If you change insurance companies, you will need to start over with the new inventory.

· Taking photos. Have someone assist by opening cabinets, finding serial numbers and opening drawers. Move systematically from room to room taking a shot from each angle, identify high value items and take close ups to show condition. If the item has a serial number like a computer, take a close up. Use the high resolution setting to ensure that all items can be identified. Videos can be taken for overview. Photos are best for detail.

· Storing photos. Leaving photos on the camera can be risky. Its best to either print them out or save them to a computer, memory stick or DVD. The best option is to store them in the “cloud”. Make certain you and another person who lives outside the home knows how to access photos in the cloud. If stored on disk or memory stick store them in a fire safe or bank security box.

· Receipts. Take photos of receipts of high value items and store just like the photos.

· Apps. Many apps are available for smartphones. Most of the “free” apps have a limit on the amount of storage unless you pay for an upgrade.

· Cloud storage. Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive, Carbonite, Intel, Rackspace and more are available to store photos and files securely on the Internet. Most are subscription based and have limits to the amount you can store. I suggest selecting one that will be around for years to come. One can easily get enough storage for less than $10 per month.

· Inventory services. For those who have more money than time, many companies offer to come to the home and perform the entire process for you.