Fall in the Okanagan always puts me in a taking-stock frame of mind. The harvest is in, Thanksgiving has passed, and I find myself grateful for the simple things, starting with the home I come back to every night. This year, I’d love for you to take that feeling one practical step further by taking stock of your home in the most literal sense.
Could you list what you own?
If you had to file an insurance claim tomorrow, most of us could name the big things and not much else. A home inventory fixes that. It’s a simple record of what’s in your home, made up of photos, a short video, serial numbers, and receipts for the things that matter most. It feels unnecessary right up until the day you need it, and after a fire, a flood, or a break-in, memory is not where you want to rebuild from.
Start with a slow walk and your phone
The easiest way to begin is to walk through each room with your phone recording and talk as you go. Open closets, cupboards, and drawers, and say out loud what you’re looking at, including brands and rough ages. A slow twenty-minute video will capture far more than you’d ever remember to write down.
Then capture the details
For electronics, appliances, tools, and bikes, take a clear photo of the serial number or model sticker. If you still have receipts for larger purchases, photograph those too. Jewellery, art, and collectibles each deserve their own close-up, and it’s worth checking your own policy to see whether items like these have limits or need to be listed separately.
Keep it somewhere the house can’t touch
An inventory saved only on a laptop in your home can be lost in the very event it was meant to protect you from. Keep a copy in cloud storage, or email it to yourself so it lives outside the house. Then update it once a year, or whenever you make a big purchase.
Put your inventory to work
Once your inventory is done, pull out your home insurance policy and look at the replacement amounts for your belongings. Then book a quick chat with your trusted insurance professional about what your coverage really means, including any limits on jewellery, art, or collectibles. Some homeowners find they’re overinsured and paying for more than they need. Others learn they wouldn’t have enough to replace their belongings if something happened, and that’s far better to discover now than after a claim.
Why this matters to me
I’ve seen how much of a person’s life lives inside the walls of a home. Gratitude for what you have is a lovely feeling, and protecting it is how that feeling lasts.
To make it easier, I’ve put together a short Household Inventory Guide that walks you through it room by room, with a printable checklist to keep you on track. If you’d like a copy, email or call me and I’ll send it your way. I’d love to hear how it goes, and I’m always happy to chat about anything else on your mind about your home.
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