There are a lot of profits to preparing a home inventory before you relocate. It helps as a checklist to guarantee you’ve received all your effects – in good condition – upon arrival. You know precisely what you had at origin and what you should have at your destination. It can also push you to check your transit protection insurance to confirm you still have suitable coverage for your personal belongings.
Creating a proper home inventory requires a bit more effort and time. You’ll need to file exactly what you have, its estimated value and where it goes.
Get ready!
Before you start, remove all the belongings that won’t be going with you. After that, you can create a pen-and-paper register or you might prefer an electronic inventory, using either a home inventory software or an Excel sheet template.
Take photographs of your valuables, fragile items, jewels and electronics. Also scan or photograph important receipts.
Start with your home inventory
Either created by pen and paper or by an online software, make sure your list is neat and clear.
- Don’t forget to copy important documents ( visa, passport, medical records..) and keep them separately from your originals, in case the originals are lost or damaged during the move. Think about backing up your important electronic files onto an external hard drive or the cloud.
- Photograph or videotape your valuables, fragile items, jewels and electronics
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List all your belongings. At the very least, your checklist should have the following columns:
- Item
- Value
- Room
- Document the value of your belongings (an approximation, the actual price or the appraisal value). If you need to make a claim to your home insurance company or to your moving company, you’ll know the exact value of each piece.
- Classifying the room helps you place the things in your new home more easily.
- To make sure your list is organized and clear, cover one room at a time. One-room-at-a-time is also a good way to pack your items when you’re ready.
- Open jewelry boxes, toolboxes and other cases/plastic storage containers to written down everything valuable inside.
- Add any large appliances on your checklist and note the brand, model and serial number.
If you need help preparing your relocation, contact our local experts for a free moving quote.