A listener named Carol wrote me. Her family lost their home in a wildfire. They got out safely. Everything else stayed.
When she filed her insurance claim, the adjuster asked her to list everything she’d lost. Room by room. With values.
Carol sat at her daughter’s kitchen table, because she didn’t have one anymore, and stared at a blank piece of paper. She couldn’t remember half of it. Her husband’s tools. The closet contents. Her mom’s collectables in a box. The stuff you stop seeing because it’s always been there.
Her adjuster paid 38 cents on the dollar because she couldn’t prove what she owned.
📹 Time well spent
Here’s how 20 minutes this Sunday can help make sure you’re prepared for the worst.
Step 1: Film it. Open your phone camera and do a slow, narrated walk through every room. Open closets. Open cabinets. Go in the garage. Talk while you film: “KitchenAid mixer, Vitamix blender, Cuisinart coffee maker…”
Step 2: Upload it. Go to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Grok and upload the video or break it into shorter clips. Videos are better, but photos room by room work, too.
Step 3: Paste this prompt:
You are an insurance claims specialist helping a homeowner create a complete home inventory. For each room, please: (1) List every visible item, (2) Estimate current replacement cost for each, (3) Organize by room with subtotals, (4) Give me a grand total replacement value. Flag anything needing a separate rider such as jewelry, art, electronics over $1,000.
Step 4: Save it in three places. Your phone. Your email. Google Drive, iCloud or Carbonite.* The list needs to survive even if your home doesn’t. A document in your desk does zero good when the desk is gone.
Step 5: Update it once a year. New TV. New appliances. Big gift. Nice watch.
📋 The step nobody tells you about
Email the finished list to your insurance agent before anything ever happens. They can spot coverage gaps while there’s still time to fix them. Your agent won’t ask for this. You have to offer it.
To make it easy, copy and paste this email and send to your agent:
Subject: Home inventory, wanted to share before anything happens
Hi, [agent’s name], I finished a home inventory of my belongings and wanted to send it over, before I ever need to make a claim. Can you look and flag anything my current coverage might not fully protect? Thanks, [your name]
The average American home contains $100,000 to $300,000 in personal belongings. Most people have no idea. Your insurance company is counting on that. Don’t give them the satisfaction.
Your move this week: This Sunday. One walkthrough. Twenty minutes. Press record.
Done.
👉 Know someone who just bought a house or has been saying, “I really should document my stuff” for years? Forward this right now. It might be the most valuable thing they do all month.