It’s COLD and SNOWY outside. Don’t feel like going outside?
What better time than now to take a Personal Property Inventory of your home?
Stop for a moment and think…think of the items that you have in your home. If you had a fire or theft, would you be able to remember all of those items, know what you paid for them, know when you purchased them?
Below are some tips published on Chubb at http://accent.chubb.com/take-home-inventory.
Go room by room
Pick a room and make a list of everything in that room. You can enter it into a spreadsheet or use paper and pen. Each entry should include
- Description
- Quantity
- Purchase date
- Where it was purchased
- Current estimated value
- If relevant, model and serial number
A walk through with a video camera is also helpful or taking pictures of the items.
Organized Home Inventory
The Insurance Information Institute has a free online app at KnowYourStuff.org that will walk you through the inventory process. It also has apps for iPhones and Androids.
Need More Detail
Asset Panda is an asset management product that tracks the entire lifecycle of your valuables. It has a home inventory report that you can report models, serial numbers, photos, and videos. There is a cost to this program but it also provides apps for iPhones and Androids.
The key to any of these methods are to keep copies off site. They will need to be easily accessible in the event of a claim whether in a physical site or in cloud storage.
Collect Your Receipts
Locate the receipts for you valuable items. If you don’t collect your receipts, start now! Keep them with your inventory list.
Have Appraisals Done
If you don’t have receipts for valuable items, have them appraised. This will give you an idea of Fair Market Value.
Living through a fire in your home or your house ransacked and valuables stolen or destroyed brings enough stress. Having a good home inventory available and accessible will enable your claim to be settled more quickly and get you back to your life.
~Cheryl Pastor, Social Media Specialist
