How To Take Home Inventory List For Your Move

Although you’ve packed your entire belongings carefully and have made sure you don’t leave anything behind, there is still the chance that things can get missing during transit from your former house and the new home.

If you plan to hire movers, it is even highly essential that you inspect that everything has been delivered before you sign-off the bill of lading the moving company gave you.

To avoid making the move complicated, it is better to bring some orderliness and organization into the tough moving preparations. One way to get this done is by creating a household inventory list. Having a comprehensive household inventory list will make a significant difference in your whole moving process.

We will share tips to get this done in a much simpler way.

Tip to perform a Household Inventory and Packing List

This item record can also be used for emergencies, like a fire or other natural disaster. It can also be helpful in case your home is broken into. You can recover your belongings with serial numbers and clear descriptions.

Understand that if you plan to hire movers to relocate your possessions, they will also give you a record of items that they moved, as well as a list you will check when they move you into your new space.

They should tag your entire belonging and note the item before it hit the road. While this list works as a good reference for the items being moved, it won’t reveal items that have been packed in each bag or box. That is where inventory list comes in.

Below are the tips to create your inventory list:

1. Take Pictures of your Goods

Photographs are a good way to improve the reliability and practicality of your household inventory list. Pictures or videos capture the different contents of each of your belongings more than a written description. If you hire a long-distance moving company, you can consider these visual records as proof of their current state in case any damage occurs to the items during the move.

For a fast method, you can walk through your space and record your entire household goods with your phone’s camera. You also can take photos and fix them on your household inventory list. Making these visual records of your belongings is an easy method that perfectly works with your written list.

2. Create a Record of your Goods

This can be quickly and easily done with a video camera or the camera of your phone. If you chose any of the approaches, make an audio diary with it or form notes on the static photos to add information on the purchase date and its worth. It is better to record the price you get them and allow the insurance agency to figure out its value. If making use of a video camera, get someone to hold the items for you, opening doors and drawers to ensure you get a total record.

3. Room-by-room

You can refer to your home inventory list, but it might be more reasonable to break your inventory down for each room. That will make sure you have a small-inventory checklist of the bedrooms, living room, and so on, which also provide you a way to check your inventory (check out the complete moving checklist). Not the entire items in each room, but you can consider using general categories such as “bedding”. You may want to form a note of items of higher value and snap a photo if you don’t have a record already. A better option is to make a video of each room.

At the end of the exercise, you should be able to come up with a comprehensive inventory list like below. Note that, this is a guide. You can copy and use it to create your inventory list. You are to fill in the row as applicable to your household items.

Sample Household Inventory List

Kitchen + Laundry	Actual Price	Year of Purchase		Model or Serial #
Cabinets / shelving
Table & chairs
Dishware / flatware / glassware
Pots / pans
Clocks / wall décor
Refrigerator
Stove
Microwave
Dishwasher
Electrical appliances
Washer / dryer
Ironing board
Steamer
Vacuum cleaner
Living Room
Carpeting/rugs
Sofas
Coffee table / side tables
Table & chairs
Carpeting/rugs
Media center
Shelves
Curtains / blinds
Lamps / light fixtures
Art / clocks/ wall décor
Fireplace fixtures
Miscellaneous items
Bedrooms
Bedframe
Mattress
Linens
Nightstand
Dresser
Jewelry
Bookcase
Desk
Chair
Mirror
Lamps / light fixtures
Closet accessories
Clothes / Shoes
Tip: contact your insurance agent for valuables — Jewelry, for example — to be sure your coverage limits are enough to cover a possible loss.
Garage + Outdoors	Actual Price		Year of Purchase		Model or Serial #
Sporting equipment
Tools
Lawn mower
Ladders
Work bench
Grill / barbecue equipment
Storage equipment
Lawn furniture
Tip: Drain fuel from all power equipment before moving.
Basement + Attic	Actual Price		Year of Purchase		Model or Serial #
Exercise equipment
Toys / games
Trunks / luggage
Sporting equipment
Bathroom(s)
Cabinets / chests
Mirrors
Room décor
Bath towels
Clothes hamper
Medicine cabinet contents
Hair dryers / curlers
Electric shavers
Electronics
Television #1
Television #2
Camera / video equipment
Computer / laptop
Computer accessories (printer, external hard-dries)
Speakers/stereo system
DVD player
Telephones
Mobile phone
Tablet (iPad, Kindle, etc.)
Video game systems
Tip: Take photos of cord connections to electronics so you can easily reconnect them after the move.
Family Room and Office	Actual Price		Year of Purchase		Model or Serial #
Art / clocks / wall decor
Carpeting / rugs
Sofas
Curtains / blinds
Table & chairs
Desk & contents
Bookcases
File cabinet
Media center
Lamps / light fixtures
Miscellaneous Items

4. Copy the List

Once you are done with your documentation, photocopy the list, video, and/or digital pictures. Give copies to a friend or a family member, while the original copy stays with you. This will make sure you have a backup even if the original gets lost.

5. After Moving

At the end of your move and when you’ve started to unpack, you will appreciate that you take your time to make your household inventory. Having such reference with you will simplify unpacking and settling down into your new space without stress.

6. Get an Accurate Moving Quote and Insurance Rate with the Quote

Lastly, obtain a highly accurate estimate of your moving cost using your inventory list for the movers or moving cost calculator. Also, this will help determine if you need extra moving insurance to what your movers or home insurance offer you.

FAQ about Home Inventory List for Your Move

Why is taking inventory of your goods before moving important?

When you have a comprehensive inventory of your entire possessions and what box it is packed in will help you streamline what happened. You will also know if the item was packed to start with the recovery process. It is an ideal way to have peace of mind when you move.

Is there a moving checklist?

The day that leads to your move is when you must ensure you pack all essential bags that you plan to move with you. these should hold your necessities for the first week such as your clothing, pajamas, pet and baby necessities, toiletries, clothing, and any valuables or important documents.

How can moving boxes be tracked?

After your box is packed, take photographs of the contents of the box using your phone. Use the corresponding number with your picture. This is not only a helpful way to monitor belongings, but also it works as documentation for insurance providers.

What should be present in home inventory?

Item’s description, plus the make and model (optional)

Item’s estimated value

Purchase date.

Receipts

Serial number

Final Words

Packing everything you own and moving to a new place is certainly a tough process. But the right order and preparation can assist in ease the moving into your new space. To remove some stress off your neck, try bringing in a reputable moving company. Whether you are moving from Miami, Florida to New York or any other part of the globe, our network of reliable local movers has the related expertise and experience to provide stress-free local and long-distance moving services that match your needs.

From helping in the packing and relocation process to gaining access to our chain of reliable partners, we go all out to enhance your moving experience.

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