Home Security - What's Missing?

You have invested in a home security system from a reputable company that installed the necessary burglar alarms, surveillance cameras and circuitry to make them all talk to one another as an integrated and well-planned alarm system. The same company is monitoring the system 24/7. Great!

Now suppose determined thieves break into your house as the sirens scream to raid your prized possessions and make their lightning-fast getaway. Responding police ask "What is missing?" They need a quick and comprehensive list of the stolen objects, because the thieves are fencing your belongings as you speak. Can you identify everything that is missing, describing it and its value? If you cannot give the police and your insurance company an itemized list, description, and indication of purchased or appraised values (along with receipts for specific high-dollar items), that failure may diminish the odds of recovering the articles and will certainly launch you into long discussions with your insurance company regarding the value and validity of your claim!

Avoid this situation by taking action now! Buy or borrow a digital camera and take clear pictures of every single article of value in your home.

Expensive specialty items such as jewelry, electronics, art, power tools, etc., need individual close-ups to show detail, but you should also take panned shots of each corner of every room to show these and other items in place. As you record your photo journal, make a very methodical journey through your home, from room to room, basement to attic, corner to corner, and ceiling to floor. Capture every piece of furniture and every object resting on every shelf. Don't forget the attached garage and the bonus room above it or detached buildings such as mother-in-law apartments, tool sheds, pool houses, barns, and vehicles.

As you make this photographic orbit of your home universe, take along a friend to carry a clipboard, paper and pencil. Have the sidekick start a new sheet for each floor and room as you travel and then note and number each object and its details as you photograph it. The numbers on the photos can be coordinated later with the numbers on the sheet. On completion, have the photos burned on CD or DVD, photocopy receipts/appraisals when they're available, and store disk copies along with the written account in your safety deposit box and in the keeping of a trusted friend. Now you have both photographic and written record of your possessions. When the police ask what is missing, consult the photos and the list to identify your losses. The same data will vastly improve your chances of getting the proper settlement on your insurance claim!