Home Inventory Tips & Tools

According to a 2012 survey from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), more than half of Americans don't have a home inventory of their possessions, putting them at risk for inadequate home insurance coverage, should a disaster strike.

Home inventories are invaluable for showing insurance companies what you lost in a break-in, fire, or other catastrophe. “The information you place in your home inventory can make insurance claim settlements faster and easier,” said Ken Goodwin, California Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Broker and Principal Owner of Pacific Preferred Insurance Agency in Oxnard. He added, “It’s also been a great way for us to determine whether our clients may need personal property limits higher than already specified in their policy.”

Taking pictures or recording video of the contents of your home is the recommended method of taking stock of your possessions, according to Goodwin. Armed with a digital camera or camcorder it's easy to shoot as many pictures or minutes of video as you need. Always take an extra few seconds to snap a picture or zoom in on the serial numbers and the important details of your possessions—flip a piece of china over to show the make, take a close up picture of a stamp or proof mark on an antique that shows the age and value, etc. Burn the pictures or video to a DVD and/or upload them to a secure account online to ensure you have them when you need them.

Know Your Stuff® - Home Inventory, the Insurance Information Institute's free online home inventory software is a good solution. The application makes creating and updating your home inventory easy and efficient. And with their free, secure online storage you will have access to your inventory anywhere, any time.

You can also download the new Know Your Stuff® — Home Inventory app to your iPhone. It is available in the iTunes App Store (or search for "III Inventory").

Information about your belongings, including adding rooms, items and photos, can be entered either through the iPhone app or through the Web-based software and your data will automatically synchronize between the two. All of your information will be kept in your personal, password protected account, on Amazon secure servers. And, like the online version, the Know Your Stuff® app is easy to use and free of charge.

If you would like to learn more you can visit www.knowyourstuff.org or www.pacificinsuresme.com