The beginning of a new year is a good time to reassess your situation in many areas. You may feel you need to lose weight, exercise more, find a new job or some make some other significant change in your life. Even if you aren’t ready to commit to a major change, a milestone like the January 1 may be useful as an incentive to do some of those things you should do, but just never seem to have the time.
For instance, a whole-house inventory of your possessions. As deadly storms in the South demonstrated last weekend, just because it is January does not mean tornados and other severe weather is not possible this time of year. While the Dallas region is less likely to experience tornados and hailstorms, they are not all that rare, and strong storms with lightning may have set fire to a home in Parker on January 2. The area has also just marked the anniversary of the Garland tornado that killed nine people the day after Christmas in 2016.
A major disaster, like a tornado or a fire can utterly devastate your home. In the aftermath, there may be little left but debris and rubble. At that point, it is too late to try catalog the contents of your home. This is why a detailed home inventory can be valuable when making an insurance claim on your homeowner’s policy, and even more valuable, should an insurance dispute or bad faith behavior arise concerning your claim.
It is best to be methodical, working from one room to the next, providing as much information as possible about the items in the room. Taking comprehensive photos and video can also ensure that you won’t forget items and that the condition of the item is visible and clear.
Simply making the inventory is not enough. If you keep it in your home, it too could be destroyed. You should make multiple copies and keep one or more at a different location, one of which should be a very secure location, such as a bank safe deposit box.
