You never expect it to happen but sometimes your belongings may be stolen or destroyed. To protect your possessions in your home from theft or a fire or some sort of disaster, putting together a household inventory would be very useful. When it's time to provide your home insurance company with a record of your items to make your claim, this will reduce your stress, anxiety and time during this process.

You probably received some nice gifts at Christmas, and now is just the time to record these items and put them into a list if not done already.

I'd suggest starting one room at a time, otherwise it's just too overwhelming. And don't try to do it all in one day. Also remember to include items in your garage, attic, basement or storage facility.

You can find lists online that you can print out or make your own spreadsheet and include the item's serial and model numbers, purchase date, cost, where you bought it and attach any receipts you may have.

Take photos of the items, sometimes it's good to have a family member in the photo to show ownership (if it's an expensive item). Video is great too. You may also want to include copies of wills, passports, birth certificates and credit card info with the inventory list.

Once you are done with the list, keep a copy and put another copy in a safety deposit box. If you don't have one, give a copy to a relative or friend to keep. It's good to update this list every six months or so.

I hope you never have to go through this painful process of theft or a disaster in your home, but thought I'd bring this up, as it's a new year, and a good time to protect your possessions.

For all your real estate needs, contact Greg and Liz Holmes - The Holmes Team to help you buy and/or sell your home! Call us at 778.834.9929 or email us at info@holmesteam.ca .