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You can make your own home inventory
A professional home inventory is nice if you can afford it - but people can also do their own.
The Insurance Information Institute, an industry trade association, offers advice and free software for doing your own home inventory. A link to the software is on the institute's home page at:
http://www.iii.org
The institute also gives the following advice for making a home inventory that will help you make a claim, and help protect you if disaster strikes your home.
For clothing, count the items you own by category - pants, coats, shoes, for example - making notes about those that are especially valuable.
For major appliance and electronic equipment, record their serial numbers usually found on the back or bottom.
If you are just setting up a household, starting an inventory list can be relatively simple. If you've been living in the same house for many years, however, the task of creating a list can be daunting.
Still, it's better to have an incomplete inventory than nothing at all. Start with recent purchases and then try to remember what you can about older possessions.
Big-ticket items
Valuable items like jewelry, art work and collectibles may have increased in value since you received them. Check with your agent to make sure that you have adequate insurance for these items. They may need to be insured separately.
Take a picture
Besides the list, you can take pictures of rooms and important individual items. On the back of the photos, note what is shown and where you bought it or the make. Don't forget things that are in closets or drawers.
Videotape it
Walk through your house or apartment videotaping and describing the contents. Or do the same thing using a tape recorder.
Use a personal computer
Use your PC to make your inventory list. Personal finance software packages often include a homeowners room-by-room inventory program.
Storing the list, photos and tapes
Regardless of how you do it (written list, floppy disk, photos, videotape or audio tape), keep your inventory along with receipts in your safe deposit box or at a friend's or relative's home. That way you'll be sure to have something to give your insurance representative if your home is damaged.
When you make a significant purchase, add the information to your inventory while the details are fresh in your mind.
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