A home inventory is a responsible way for consumers to protectthemselves if disaster strikes. Insurance agents routinelyrecommend making a home inventory, and customers just as frequentlyput it on their to-do list and don't think about it again.

Making a home inventory can be a cumbersome process. Oftentimes,if someone actually takes pictures or documents their belongings,they end up storing the information in an unsafe place in theirhome. If disaster strikes, the home inventory is then rendereduseless.

Until recently, there have been few improvements on the homeinventory concept, but technology advancements have meant amakeover for home inventories.

These days, phrases like “Web 2.0” and “in the cloud” describeadvancements that can have great implications for customers whowant to put together a home inventory. These advancements mean thatsecure servers can store information for the customer and help themquickly put together a list of their belongings that is held offsite or in “the cloud.”

Look for these features in a home inventory when offering adviceto policyholders:

• Search technology built into the home inventory that lets usersquickly select information about the products in their home.
• Functionality that allows the customer to sell and donatedirectly from their home inventory.
• A home inventory that is pre-populated with items, by room andcategory.
• A feature that allows customers to see the total amount ofcontents they have by room, category, or throughout theirhome.
• Secure data storage within the home inventory website.

When a policyholder makes a home inventory, they have peace ofmind knowing that their items are catalogued. The policyholdermight also see that certain items need more insurance coverage. Theinsurance agent benefits when an additional rider is written forthose customers.

The problem of helping customers put together a home inventoryis an old one. But there are new solutions available to helpcustomers keep track of their belongings and to help insuranceagents make those customers aware of areas where they can improvetheir insurance coverage.