Speaking of home insurance

[Night Elf]

I don't have a list of the contents of my house. If I was to do that, how do I know how to value things? For example, I bought my sofa for $800 about 6 years ago. Do I record what I paid for it? What about a piano that was bought in 1968? How do I value that?

[Carrie12345]

Record what you paid.  If you can find the same or close online, print that.

For something like a valuable piano (I don't know anything about pianos) I'd get it appraised or find a reputable comparison online.

 

The most important thing is that your contents coverage overall is sufficient.  Dh's aunt got her full check without an itemized inventory when her home completely burned.  If her contents were actually worth more than that (and I have no idea,) she lost out.  If they were worth less, she came out ahead.  Yes, some companies might quibble, particularly if there's only a partial loss.  But it's more likely to be along the lines of "But the furs in my lost closet were worth tens of thousands!" than "My Raymore and Flannigan couch was in perfect condition."  IN which case the furs should have had their own line item in the policy.

[Aiden]

Record what you paid (and approximately when) and, if possible take a picture. Look up online what you could find something comparable for and record that as an estimated current replacement cost. Be sure that you're insured for replacement value and that you're insured for enough to cover the estimated cost of replacement, not just purchase price.

[Jaz]

You may want to walk through your house and take photos or videos. I did that one afternoon with a video camera and just opened every cabinet and door.