If you have a move coming up, you may be getting ready to make a home inventory list. If not, we recommend that you take the time to complete this important step. Not only will it be useful for insurance purposes, but it will assist you and those helping you pack and unpack. Take a look at our tips for creating a home inventory list before you move.
BREAK IT UP INTO ROOMS
At first glance, creating a home inventory list can seem overwhelming. By taking each room or section of your home and tackling them one at a time, you can break a large task into something much more manageable. You don’t even have to go through your entire home all at once. If you have the time before your move, you can plan to complete one room a day, or even a week—what ever works best for your schedule.
SKIP THE SMALL STUFF
Not every item you own must make the list. The depth of your list is completely up to you. If you are making a list solely for insurance purposes, you may want to stick with larger, or higher value items. If you have the time and would like to go the extra mile to have a comprehensive packing and unpacking list, all the better! You don’t need to list every book or dvd that goes into a box, however. You can simply state the number of items in the box, along with its current and future location.
TAKE PICTURES OR VIDEO
As you are documenting your items on paper or moving app, take pictures of your furniture and high-value items for insurance purposes. You can also take a video going through each room, highlighting the larger items. Don’t forget to document the estimated value of the items.
NUMBER YOUR BOXES
Some people have found it helpful to number each box and document the number on your inventory/moving list. This can make it quite easy to spot missing or misplaced boxes. Using numbers that correspond with a list can make the labelling process faster. Instead of writing a full room name and all the items inside the box, you can just write a number and look to your list to know what is in the box and where it goes.
MAKE COPIES
Before you pack up your important documents, make copies that you save digitally. This can be very important if something were to happen to them during transit. You should also make copies of your home inventory list and hand it out to those who need it for unpacking and organization purposes.
We hope these tips help you as you start to plan your upcoming move. If you would like a free, no-obligation estimate for a long-distance or local move, Zippy Shell is standing by to help!