Why and how should I document the contents of my home?
If you were to unfortunately lose your home in a disaster, your insurance will likely provide coverage for both your home and its contents. HOWEVER, remembering (much less proving) the existence of the contents of your home will prove impossible. In order to make an insurance claim, you will need to provide evidence of ownership. There are a number of steps you can take.  1. Take a video inventory of your home’s interior. This is a very fast and necessary first step. There’s no denying that you owned something if it appears in a video taken from within your home. As you undertake this video tour, remember to open every door, closet, drawer and cabinet, narrating as you go. Don’t neglect your garage or shed. Anything that contains something of value should be filmed.  2. Keep receipts for big purchases. Choose a file folder or a manila envelope and make it home for your durable goods receipts. It needn’t be super organized. Whenever you buy a microwave, a toaster, a throw rug, or a new front door, just throw the receipt into the receipt folder.  3. Subscribe to a home inventory program. There are numerous apps and online programs where you can house the information entailed in points 1 and 2. These programs help you to gather the information that insurance providers will ask for should you ever have to file a claim. Additionally, you’ll be saving you inventory information in the cloud, where no local fire or flood can harm it.