A home inventory is not an easy thing to make. So before you start preparing it you need to know why you need a home inventory. If you are moving to Miami, for example, a home inventory will be one of the most important things to prepare. But even if you are not moving, knowing what you own in your home can be a lifesaver. Especially in natural disaster situations where you have to file an insurance claim. Of course, everyone is hoping that it will never come to that. But if you are living in a part of the country that is prone to floods, fires, tornados, having a home inventory will be very important.
What exactly is a home inventory list?
A home inventory is a list of items that you keep in your home. Individual furniture pieces, electronics, other valuable items like art and jewelry, books, clothes, etc. But, you cannot just write the names of your items. You want to note as many details as possible. This means that you need to write the item’s value, dimensions, weight, color, serial numbers, and condition. Unfortunately, an average American home holds thousands of items. Some studies even say that there are more than 300.000 items in an average home. So this is not going to be an easy task. However, if you organize well, and you know what you are doing, you could do this in a day or two.
In what situations will you need a home inventory list.
Now that you understand that making a possessions list is complicated and difficult you are probably wondering why you need a home inventory. Well, if you ever moved before and used the packing services Florida, you know that this list is an important part of the moving process. On the other hand, maybe you are living in a disaster-prone area. If you do then you should know that filing an insurance claim, without a valid home inventory list is not possible. Also, this list can be very helpful when you want to organize your home better and do some maintenance. There are, however, other reasons why someone would need a home inventory list. But these are the most common.
Moving is one of the processes when you will need an inventory list
The moving process is one of the situations where you need a home inventory list. Of course, you can move without it. But if you want to move properly and you like to have things under control, preparing your list is a must. The first thing that you will see after preparing the list is the amount of work that you will need to do before moving. So you can estimate the time required for packing properly. Also, you will be able to estimate the number of moving boxes Florida and other materials that you will need for packing. Finally, the moving company will have to send their representative to your home to be able to give you a precise estimate. If you have your moving inventory list prepared there is no need for that. And they will give you an estimate according to your list.
If you are living in a dangerous area, you will need an insurance policy and a home inventory list
If you are living in a disaster-prone area, or you are just moving to Florida, for example, having a list of your items is one of the most important things. Some researches say that fires, tornados, or floods affected almost 70% of Americans at least once in their lifetime. The shocking fact is that 44% of them did not have home insurance policies. You do not want to be one of that 44 %. Visit your insurance company, ask about their policies, and start making your home inventory list as soon as possible.
A home inventory list could be a way to get your stuff back after a burglary
Natural disasters are not the only reason why you need an inventory list. Home robberies are also one of the things why the list of your belongings could be important. Of course, a good home security system could be the reason why not to prepare one. But if your home is not secured properly, good insurance and a home inventory list will be a good defense against burglary.
If you want to declutter your home prepare a list of your items
If you think that your home is becoming cluttered. That you just have too many things. Maybe you are thinking about fixing that. If you do, the first thing that you need to prepare is the list of your belongings. Once you have it in your hands, you will have a much easier task in determining what is the surplus, and what you need to get rid of.
Why you need a home inventory list and how to prepare one
As mentioned above, the most common situations where you will need a home inventory list is moving, filing an insurance claim after natural disasters and robberies, and before home decluttering. Of course, there are other reasons why someone would need to have a list of their possessions. But whatever your reasons are, you will need to invest a lot of effort into preparing one. So it would be smart if you can get someone to help you before you dig in. After you find a helper, you can start the process. Of course, for this, you can use good old pen and paper. But you can also use your computer or mobile phone.
The pen and paper will probably be the hardest. Preparing a spreadsheet on your computer is easier. But it can be difficult to move around your home with a computer in your hands. That is why your mobile phone and a home inventory app is probably the best solution in this case.
