Home Sweet Home Inventory

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*This post contains an affiliate link to HomeZada, a home inventory app that I use to perform my signature Seattle based home inventory service. I may receive a small commission ONLY if you make a purchase through the link. Additionally, I only promote products and services I believe will add value to you.

As a Seattle Professional Organizer, I love helping people feel empowered and at ease in their homes.  Between work, school, kids, family, activities, and endless laundry & dishes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed!  Simply keeping on top of the day-to-day can feel like too much, but then throw in a major life event and chaos ensues.  

When my clients hear me mention life events like emergency preparedness, getting affairs in order, end of life planning, or estate organization their eyes get big and I can feel the anxiety and panic that comes from feeling unprepared.  If this sounds like you, don’t worry – you’re not alone!  Most people don’t have a plan for such things so when the unexpected happens, they wish they had their Life Planned & Organized. 

What if I told you that there was one thing you could do for your home to enormously relieve the stress and anxiety from those potential situations?  One thing that could bring you the peace and calm we all want in our homes?

So, what is this magic bullet?  A Home Inventory!

People often underestimate the power behind a good Home Inventory and what it can do for you.  By the end of this post, you will know what a home inventory is, how to create one, and what it can do for you.  And if you’re still overwhelmed, I have a solution for that too.  Let’s dive in!

What is a Home Inventory?

A home inventory is a comprehensive list of all the items in your home.  That sounds simple, right?  The only thing is, we’re not just talking about that fancy new TV you got last year, but detailed items like the expensive hardwood floor you installed yourself or the upgraded window treatments you opted for last Spring. 

Most home-owners or renters think having insurance is enough to cover them in the unfortunate event of a fire, flood, or other disaster.  But did you know the first thing your insurance company will ask when you file a claim is “Do you have a list of all the items that were in your home?”  Unless you can document the value for each item you own, insurance companies only pay the bare minimum.  So instead of getting the full amount you paid for those name brand noise-canceling headphones, you’ll receive the amount it costs to get the basic model instead.  Multiply that by all the items in your home and you’re talking about a huge financial loss, not to mention the emotional distress you’ll experience while you quickly try to get a list of belongings together.

Sounds devastating, right?  It doesn’t have to be.

No matter which way you look at it, a family disaster is awful.  But emergency preparedness can relieve the burden of a terrible situation.  Let’s discuss how you do that!

How to Create a Home Inventory

Now that you know what a home inventory is, you’re probably wondering the best way to create one.  Here’s the process I recommend to keep your experience planned and organized:

1. Choose a Home Inventory App

A good ol’ pen & paper home inventory can work, however, I highly recommend you use a home inventory app instead.  After all, I am a digital organizer! An online app will make the process much smoother and automatically stores your info safely in the cloud, and outside your home. 

There’s a wide variety of options out there that you can review, but I love HomeZada and use it with my clients.  Like many of the other options, you can get started with a free version of HomeZada and upgrade later if you feel the need.  I also love that it’s compatible with either Mac or PC, so it’s user-friendly and accessible to everyone.

Learn more about How to Work with Professionals to Track a Home Inventory from the Zen of Zada!

2. Take Photos

The next step is to go through your entire home documenting each room.  I always start with pictures of the whole space first, and then I zoom in for more detailed pictures.  When you’re beginning, think in terms of real estate and get pictures of your FF&E – fixtures, furniture, & equipment.

Next, you’ll zoom in another layer to get pictures of your major appliances or valuable items.

Then you can zoom in once more to get pictures of brands, model & serial numbers, condition of items, etc.

After that, open cupboards & drawers and take pictures of valuable items within.

3. Upload Photos to Your Home Inventory App

This step can take a while because you may have a large number of photos to upload.  Feel free to break it up by room and upload in segments.

4. Add Details to Your Home Inventory App

This varies from home to home, but general things to include are:

• 3-5 pictures of each appliance or valuable
• Notes such as scheduled maintenance, upcoming replacement of large appliances, etc.
• Digital manuals (so you can toss the paper one, yay!)
• Receipts for big-ticket items (insurance requires this for certain amounts)

5. Maintain & Evaluate

Now that you’ve created your home inventory, it’s essential to stay on top of it!  Add items throughout the year and be consistent with updating images when needed or making notes.  Remember, it feels great to have your Life Planned & Organized!

Why do I Need a Home Inventory?

Is a home inventory just for emergencies?  People ask me this all the time and the answer is, no!  There’s so much power behind this time-consuming process that I recommend everyone gets one in place.  Whether you’re a home-owner or a renter, this is an essential part of adulting! 

Here are a few ways you can Next Level Your Home Inventory and make it work for you:

• Promotes organization!   Taking a clear look at your ‘stuff’ helps you get organized along the way.

• Creates a ‘Digital Drawer’ online to keep documentation all together. If a maintenance or warranty issue arises, you know right where to find the information. Get Comfy with your Files in the Cloud to ease your mind in using cloud storage.

• Stores everything in one place, relieving stress & anxiety.  See my Life in a Box tool that explains why!

• Deeply examines your home and brings attention to things you may not otherwise notice on a regular basis.

• Raises awareness of maintenance issues so you can stay on top of repairs before they become a dire situation.

• Helps keep your assets in good condition.

• Makes moving much easier when we’re aware of what we have & the condition our home is in.

• Provides a thorough understanding of your home and where to find things like gas and water meters.

• Prepares you for anything! Streamline unfortunate life events such as the death of a family member, divorce, aging parents, end-of-life planning, and natural disasters. Organize your life to expect the unexpected!

• Instills calm and clarity.  Streamline positive life events such as marriage, a new baby, a big move, retirement, or becoming empty nesters.

Seattle Home Inventory Service

Feeling lost? We’ve covered a lot here and I know it can sound daunting.  Maybe you’ve tried this before only to get stuck partway through.  Or maybe the whole process sounds exhausting and you’re not sure how to get started.  My Seattle Home Inventory Service has three tiers and I would love to discuss which option may be right for you.  Let me help you get your ducks in a row because the peace of mind you’ll gain from a home inventory is invaluable.  

Need Support?

  Contact me anytime…

HomeZada

References:

Barbara Schmitt. 2020. The Best Home Inventory Apps. [Benzinga]