prairiewindmomma Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 I'd like to find a phone based app where I can store a home inventory. Ideally I could include photos of the item, serial numbers, and add digital receipts (either pdf or photo). Does anyone know of and use such a project that can recommend it? Likewise, if anyone has a good one where I can also add packing box numbers in case of a move, that would be lovely. During our last move, our corporate movers stole from us/"lost" boxes and it was a complete PITA to match box numbers with receipts to justify the claim. Had I not been able to show receipts, box inventory numbers, and photos of the boxes in the stack to be loaded, we wouldn't have gotten our $$$$ to replace the items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 This sounds like something we could use, too. Listening in… And, if I can add a question (sorry), what if you never had a receipt, or if it was lost/tossed out decades ago? Are photos sufficient? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 4 Author Share Posted March 4 1 minute ago, Innisfree said: This sounds like something we could use, too. Listening in… And, if I can add a question (sorry), what if you never had a receipt, or if it was lost/tossed out decades ago? Are photos sufficient? This really depends on the moving company. With our last move, anything of value over $500 had to be especially declared at the time of inventory. We had some antique furniture with an unestablished value but over that amount that was damaged in the move. our damaged furniture had to be evaluated by an antiquarian furniture repair specialist where he gave an estimate of lost value after his repair (which I could but did not appeal). on other things we negotiated an amount based on the number/quality of items. I was missing some receipts on Dockers, but I knew a box with 10 pairs of dh’s work trousers was lost based on the inventory list so we settled on $35 each since our insurance moving policy was at replacement value and that was the current price at the time at Kohl’s. I have photos of one wool rug that went missing in the stack to be loaded which I had a receipt for but which missed the inventory list—I was not paid for that claim. Read the insurance policy carefully. Take photos. Be a hawk about the inventory list. Watch the exclusion list carefully—we drove a minivan’s worth of stuff here which would have been uninsured had they transported it. IMO, send nothing irreplaceable like photos with a mover. I have digital backups of most of them at this point but the most precious of them will be kept with me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 I genuinely looked into creating one some time in the 20-teens. I don’t know if anything decent has come on the market since. For moving, I ended up just using a spreadsheet. For inventory, and as someone who researched that topic extensively, I have to admit I just have videos and random photos in my phone. 🙈 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 15 minutes ago, Innisfree said: This sounds like something we could use, too. Listening in… And, if I can add a question (sorry), what if you never had a receipt, or if it was lost/tossed out decades ago? Are photos sufficient? I can’t speak to the moving part, but home damage (fire, water, etc.) tends to vary by company and type of item. Like, clothing is typically assigned a “whole” value based on a standard wardrobe. “Bedroom set” likely is, too. But a photo/video of 3 walk-in closets may serve as enough evidence for some companies to bump up (not to exceed your contents coverage limit.) If they’re closets of Prada or a solid gold bed, you’d be wise to get a rider in advance and probably supply evidence of ownership. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 4 Author Share Posted March 4 @Innisfree, I have been researching apps today and it looks like Everspruce has all of the features I want…but it’s $5.99/month or $44.99/year. This is probably worth it to me in a moving year, but I dont know that I can fully justify that otherwise. Home Contents ($4.99(?)) is probably what I will end up using. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 18 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said: @Innisfree, I have been researching apps today and it looks like Everspruce has all of the features I want…but it’s $5.99/month or $44.99/year. This is probably worth it to me in a moving year, but I dont know that I can fully justify that otherwise. Home Contents ($4.99(?)) is probably what I will end up using. We’re moving too, first time in 20+ years, so we’re not accustomed to the process. I appreciate the recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 As a veteran of many moves, my simple advice is this: Color tag series of boxes to the room you want them to end up in. Buy a roll of duct tape in each color and create laminated signs in those colors that you tape on the door both in the house you are packing out of and again in the house you are moving into. “Pink bedroom” or “orange kitchen” boxes are way more likely to end up where they need to go. Dont schedule move in until you have done whatever flooring or painting or ceiling work you need to unless you are content to leave stuff in the garage. That said, i had a friend whose house burned down with 80% of her contents in the garage. (Painter left stain rags in a pile.) I personally would rather pay for a couple of weeks of storage and have stuff delivered to the proper rooms than have it all sent to a garage or living room and then have to schlep boxes around the house. I have RA and have to proritize how I spend my energy. You’ve already gotten my inventory advice. I pack a clean the house box for when we take possession. It has hand soap, toilet paper, a shower curtain and rod, clean towels, basic toiletries + clothes (all so you can shower when sweaty), and snacks and water bottles so that we can get things clean and ready for delivery. I replace shower heads to low emission ones, replace hvac filters, wipe all of the cabinets and put liners in, replace toilet seats and hoses (all metal for the water line, always) and install bidets, etc. I have the vents cleaned early that day, so any dust that blows through after being loosened during suctioning is cleaned up as I clean. I make sure I have the washer tray and overflow alarm ready and new metal drain hoses and a new dryer hookup (ready for my freshly cleaned dryer exhaust) ready for washer and dryer hookup. I do basic pest control and make sure any sprinklers are on and functional and I double check my measurements and sketch a furniture layout. If I need to get an electrician in to wire a wall for a tv mount or to change out fixtures or something I try to get that scheduled to get done in that first 48 hours also. On delivery day, every item off of the truck comes by me. Do not ever let someone set boxes or furniture down onto gravel. Gravel can embed in the bottom of a box, unseen, and scratch your floors. I check the inventory and do a final walkthrough before they leave. Any discrepancies in inventory must be noted and agreed to by the truck driver or whomever is in charge of the delivery crew. Likewise, note any damage to the house from delivery—especially check stairwells and corners. Delivery took 6 hours last time—either arrange for doordash or bring a cooler if the fridge doesnt pass with the house so you have food. It’s a whole checklist and ordeal, but I can get our family moved and settled in just a few days. Pictures are usually hung by the end of the week, and everything is fully unpacked and we are box free by the end of week two. I am always eager to park in the garage—our empty box stack in the garage is usually at my eye level. The key to unpacking quickly is to do all of your presort and cleaning before packers come. Get rid of your clutter now! 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 10 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said: As a veteran of many moves, my simple advice is this: Thank you very much. This is quite helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallie Mae Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 FYI https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/insurance/home-inventory-app-template 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 8 Author Share Posted March 8 I downloaded and have been using Home Contents. The total one time price for all features is $5.99. Your data is stored only on your device, or if you choose to back your device to icloud, on icloud. I really appreciate that they arent looting my data for targeted ads or the like. Entry is going fluidly low far. The phone scanning for serial numbers or isbn numbers works well. If you choose to add more photos of an item when you had started an entry with only one photo it’s not intuitive (to me) but once you figure it out it’s easy and fine. I can easily add locations for where items are stored, or categories for items. Despite having a minimalist bent, we own stuff. I am rediscovering all kinds of things I never would have remembered if I was just kind of winging an insurance claim form. I am really happy with the app, and I am just going room by room as I do a deep spring cleaning. It’s going to take a while! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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