Here’s a question we ask homeowners all the time: if your house suffered a major loss tomorrow, could you list everything you own — from memory, under stress, room by room? Almost no one can. And after a fire, a tornado, or a major theft, that memory gap translates directly into money left on the table. A home inventory is one of the simplest, cheapest, most overlooked steps in protecting your home — and it takes about 30 minutes with the phone already in your pocket.
Why It Matters More Than You Think
Your homeowners policy includes personal property coverage — typically a percentage of your dwelling limit — to replace your belongings after a covered loss. But here’s the catch: the burden of documenting what you owned falls on you. Adjusters can only pay for what you can show you had. Homeowners without documentation routinely under-claim by thousands of dollars, simply because they forget the contents of closets, cabinets, garages, and drawers they haven’t opened in months.
The 30-Minute Video Walkthrough
You don’t need spreadsheets or special apps to start. Just do this:
- Walk every room with your phone camera recording, narrating as you go. Open closets, drawers, cabinets, and the garage. Don’t forget the attic, under beds, and outdoor equipment.
- Zoom in on high-value items — electronics, tools, jewelry, firearms, instruments — and capture brand names, model numbers, and serial numbers where you can.
- Photograph receipts and appraisals for your most valuable items and keep them with the video.
- Store it off-site. A video saved only on a phone that burns with the house doesn’t help. Upload it to cloud storage or email it to yourself.
- Update it once a year — after holidays and major purchases is a natural time.
While You’re At It: Check Your Special Limits
A home inventory has a second benefit — it often reveals coverage gaps before a claim does. Standard policies carry special limits on certain categories: jewelry, watches, firearms, silverware, collectibles, and cash are commonly capped at amounts like $1,500–$2,500, regardless of your overall personal property limit. If your walkthrough turns up an engagement ring, a firearm collection, or camera gear worth more than those caps, those items likely need to be scheduled — listed individually on the policy — to be fully protected. Scheduling is usually inexpensive, and it often covers scenarios a standard policy doesn’t, like simply losing a ring.
Replacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value — For Your Stuff, Too
Most homeowners have heard about the Replacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value question on roofs. The same question applies to your belongings. With Replacement Cost coverage, a five-year-old TV is replaced with a comparable new one. With Actual Cash Value, you get what a five-year-old TV is worth — which isn’t much. It’s worth confirming which one your policy carries, because the difference across an entire household of contents is enormous.
We’re Happy to Look at It With You
An inventory is your job — but making sure the policy behind it is right is ours. If you’d like us to review your personal property limits, special limits, and whether anything in your home should be scheduled, that’s part of the annual policy review we do for our clients. As independent agents with access to 80+ carriers, we can also compare how different companies handle contents coverage, because they don’t all treat it the same.
Neal & Neal Insurance | Independent Insurance Agents | Denton, Texas
940-387-8281 • dan@nealins.com • nealins.com • 4202 N. I-35, Denton TX 76207
30+ years serving Denton County. 75+ years combined experience. 80+ carriers.
940-387-8281 • dan@nealins.com • nealins.com • 4202 N. I-35, Denton TX 76207
Serving TX, GA, CO, OK & NM