It's a great time to create a home inventory!

With the hectic holiday season now behind us, it's a great time to take an inventory of the items in your home. Chances are Santa dropped off new toys for everyone and we want to make sure they'll be replaced if your home were damaged or destroyed. You never know when disaster may strike so it pays to be prepared.

A home inventory list will not only help you decide how much insurance you need to purchase, it will also help you through the claims process if you have a loss. If your house burned to the ground today, would you be able to list every single item in the house? Most of us could list the big items, like TVs & appliances, but the smaller things like dishes, clothing, toys, books and jewelry might be more difficult to recall. Here's a short one-minute video to help illustrate the importance of this process: http://bit.ly/673kjV.

As they mention in the video there are several ways to take an inventory. The Insurance Information Institute offers a free software program that you can download here: http://www.knowyourstuff.org/. This will help to guide you through the inventory and allows you attach photos and receipts to the file.

You can also videotape the inside of your house, narrating as you go along to help record your possessions. Be sure to open drawers and closets so you can see everything.

Taking photographs of your possessions is another quick and easy way to document things. You can post these pictures online to a photosharing site like Flickr or Picasa so you can access them from anywhere. Scanning receipts for big ticket items like jewelry and electronics is also recommended.

Once you've completed your inventory, be sure to store the information in an offsite location so that it's protected. We are also happy to attach your pictures and lists to your file here in the agency as well. Feel free to contact us here at Sun Insurance if you have any questions about insuring the items inside your home. We are happy to help!

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Sun Insurance Services, Inc. is a family-owned and operated insurance agency located in Orlando, Florida. We write with twenty of Florida's most prestigious insurance carriers and offer our clients a broad range of choice and customization for their insurance needs. Find us on the Web at www.suninsuranceservices.com.