Imagine returning to your home to find it burned to the ground.
Would you be able to tell your insurance company about all the cherished possessions you'd want replaced?
We asked Kiana Geditz what she would want replaced. She says, "The computer, jewelry probably..." "A big screen tv?" "Yeah, all those televisions that my husband's invested in."
Like most people... Kiana doesn't have a home inventory so when we later walked through her house... she realized she had missed many valuable items.
Kiana adds, "I forgot about the treadmill..."... "Yeah, I forgot about the wedding dress."
Priscilla Sparks lived through a devastating fire. She recalls the night it happened. "It was a strong, violent lightning that hit the back of the house where two of my bedrooms are."
Thankfully Priscilla was surrounded by family and friends who immediately stepped in to help... removing her most valuable belongings.
Priscilla had more structural damage to her home than loss of property, but she says the ordeal was stressful.
She's thankful she had a personal inventory... photo after photo of her most treasured possessions.
Priscilla jokes, "I'm an in-case person. I do these in case something like this happens."
Steve Hassoldt handles claims for State Farm Insurance Company.
He says, "We ask them specifically to go back and we have to say... you have to tell us what you had... how many pairs of pants did you have... how many pairs of shoes.... and how old were they."
Steve says the process can be a nightmare so he suggests walking through each room of your home and videotaping the contents.
He also says it's important to keep receipts of higher priced items, like electronics... making sure you have the date of purchase, serial, make, and model numbers.
And, don't forget the videotape and receipts shouldn't be kept in your house. Give it to a relative or put it in a safe deposit box.
You'll never know if you'll need it, but it sure can make a difference if you suffer a big loss.