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May is National Moving Month, with an estimated 40 million Americans packing up their belongings and settling into new homes. This time may be stressful, but it could also be an opportunity to assess your items and create a home inventory.
For most homeowners, creating an inventory and documenting belongings isn’t top of mind. However, moving provides an opportunity to evaluate, categorize, and pack your items.
Preparing a home inventory in advance may save you time. When damage or loss occurs, many homeowners find themselves scrambling to remember specific items in a room and sifting through countless digital or physical photos to locate them. In the aftermath, this could be daunting, time-consuming, and emotional. That’s why, from a broker perspective, we recommend that homeowners create an inventory as part of their preparedness planning. This is often important for those living in areas prone to disasters, such as wildfires, floods, or hurricanes, which may impact your home and belongings.
If you haven’t taken the time to prepare a home inventory, you may struggle to remember everything you own. This challenge is compounded for many high-net-worth individuals, including many of our clients, who may own multiple homes. Do you recall what you have at your secondary residence or vacation property? If not, it’s wise to create home inventories for all your residences. The ideal time to do this is when you’re moving in and getting settled.
Creating a home inventory may seem time-consuming, but it may also simplify your life in the event of a claim. It could be as easy as taking out your smartphone and walking slowly through a room. Open kitchen drawers to display your pots and pans, specialty cookware, and fine China. You could also take it a step further by laying out items to capture more detailed footage of your jewelry collection or rare antique radios.
The key is to start somewhere. You may plan to do this a week or a day after your move-in and begin with one room. Capture what you have in this space by taking photos and/or videos of the room and its contents. Be sure to save the file with a clear name, such as “Living Room – Main House – March 2025,” to include a timestamp marking its importance.
Consider where you will securely store your files so that, in the event of a physical loss of your phone, you may still access these images or videos. We also recommend saving the photos or video files in a second digital format or location for added peace of mind in case you need them for a claim.
If you don’t have time to document your home and its contents yourself, our Private Client Services team could connect you with vetted vendors who may assist you. Some of these vendors use technology like Matterport or DocuSketch to create a digital replica of your home, allowing you to zoom in on details like the dentil crown molding in the dining room corner.
Additionally, some services specialize in preserving cherished items such as photographs and home videos. When watching the news, you often see people fleeing their homes during catastrophic events, and the first items they often grab are usually photo albums and home videos that haven’t been digitized yet. Without these items, they risk losing their precious memories forever. This service could preserve your treasured items in a format that makes them easily accessible and shareable with additional family members if you choose.
This inventory checklist may help you easily catalog and document your items. Most state Departments of Insurance also provide similar checklists for your use.
Visual documentation: Capture detailed images and videos that emphasize unique identifiers.
Secure archiving: Keep digital records in encrypted cloud platforms and physical documents in fireproof vaults or bank safety deposit boxes.
Appraisal expertise: Partner with accredited appraisers from the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) or the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) to ensure valuations are updated biennially.
Property walkthrough: Commission a professional video survey of your residence(s) to highlight key assets and archive it with your inventory for robust claims support.
Policy optimization: Collaborate with your MMA PCS advisor to schedule high-value items, add endorsements, and ensure global coverage that aligns with your lifestyle.
Seamless claims: In the event of a loss, submit your home inventory—including appraisals, photos, and provenance—to expedite claims processing and ensure fair and timely settlements.
Market valuations: Our advocates leverage current market data to secure appropriate reimbursements, mitigating depreciation risks for unique assets.
Tailored coverage: We proactively review your policy to identify and eliminate gaps, ensuring protection for collections, secondary homes, and transit risks.
As you begin creating a home inventory, you may likely discover that you own more possessions than you realized. It’s essential to list all your items and consider your personal property or contents coverage on your policy. This type of coverage protects and covers the costs of your personal items if they are destroyed, damaged, or stolen. For example, “I have three kids and three dogs, which means five wardrobes and plenty of toys and dog belongings. Am I adequately covered under my current contents coverage program on my insurance policy?”
A home inventory is more than just taking a few photos and videos; it may provide peace of mind knowing that if an event causes a loss at your home, you likely won’t have to spend hours trying to remember what you own. Instead, you’ll have a file that you may easily pull up, review, and share with your insurance company at the time of loss. From a broker perspective, it’s wise to dedicate time to this process, and make updates at least once a year.
Creating a home inventory allows you to reflect on your most treasured items. In the event of a wildfire or hurricane, what would you and your family grab to take with you? Time is of the essence during a crisis, so planning ahead may be helpful in ensuring you don’t forget your valued possessions and family heirlooms. If you need help creating a home inventory or want to connect with our trusted contacts, our team is here to help.
Request a complimentary risk management review today for a customized insurance solution.
Houston, TX
Risk Advisory Leader
