Creating an Inventory of Your Possessions Before Packing and Moving

Posted on 29/08/2024

Moving house can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. Not only do you have to worry about packing all of your belongings, but you also want to make sure that nothing gets damaged or lost in the move. To help make the process less chaotic and uncertain, it is important to create an inventory of your possessions before packing and moving them. This will give you peace of mind, help you stay organized, and ensure that everything you own arrives in one piece.

Create a Comprehensive List of Your Possessions
Before gathering your boxes, supplies, and other materials for moving day, you should begin by compiling a comprehensive list of your possessions. This can be done either manually or through a digital program like Excel. Start at one end of your house, making note of each item as you go along. Be sure to include items from both inside and outside your home. As you compile your list, it is helpful to separate items into categories such as clothing, furniture, electronics, bedding, kitchenware, appliances, art/decor pieces, etc., so that your list does not become too overwhelming or cluttered.

Take Photos for Additional Documentation
Once you have created a thorough list of all the items in your home, take pictures of each item for additional documentation. This will give you evidence in case something gets lost or damaged during the move. When taking photos of an item or group of items, move around the space capturing the item from different angles and sides so that you have multiple views documented. Be sure to include close-up shots as well as wide-angle shots that capture the whole room if possible. Once all the photos are taken, save them onto your computer or external drive for safekeeping until after the move is completed.

Label Moving Boxes Accordingly
Once all photos have been taken and saved onto an external hard drive or cloud storage program (e.g., Dropbox), it's time to begin gathering boxes and packing materials for moving day. As you start packing boxes with items on your list be sure to label them accordingly so they can easily be identified when arriving at their new location. For example, label a box containing kitchenware such as plates and mugs "Kitchenware" instead of just "Box #1" so that unloading things becomes easier on the other end when unpacking at your new location

Utilize Technology When Creating Inventory Checklists
Technology has made it much easier to keep track of our possessions than ever before; there are many different apps available which allow us to create detailed lists and checklists for our inventories quickly and accurately without having to write down every single item manually. Some top-rated apps include Sortly Pro ($2/month), Home Inventory ($3/month) and HomeZada (free). Utilizing technology when creating inventory checklists, helps streamline the process and makes organizing these types of tasks much more efficient overall.

Be Sure to Make Multiple Copies
After creating a list of all items and taking photos for documentation purposes it is important to make multiple copies before packing day arrives! Make sure to make some physical copies that can be stored away safely somewhere else (in case something happens with your digital version). Having multiple copies allows everyone involved in the move access to this important information so that nothing gets left behind or forgotten about during this hectic process! Additionally, if anything does get damaged or lost during transit then having multiple copies will help speed up any insurance claims needed afterwards too!

In conclusion, creating an inventory of your possessions before packing and moving is essential for maintaining order throughout this transitionary period as well as providing evidence should anything get damaged in transit. A comprehensive list should be typed (or handwritten) while photos should be taken as additional documentation. Utilize technology by utilizing apps such as Sortly Pro or HomeZada; these apps will help streamline the process while making organizing these types of tasks much more efficient overall. Lastly, always be sure to make multiple copies of everything before moving day arrives!