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When You First Move In | From First House to First Home | Title Insurance | Home Files | FAQ's
Organize Your Home Files
 Organized home files can help protect your investment and allow you to reap the full benefits of owning your own home. You will need most of these documents and receipts annually for tax and budget purposes, and periodically for insurance, warranty, legal, refinancing, or resale reasons.
This checklist identifies important documents by category:
Home Budget
- If you use a computer budget program, copy it onto a disk periodically for this file.
- Budget plan and worksheets
- Bills and payment stubs
- Receipts
- Record of loan payments (home, car, credit cards), including date paid and check numbers
- Home Purchase
Note which records you needed when you applied for your mortgage in case you refinance.
- Deed
- Mortgage note
- Settlement statement
- Title insurance policy
- Appraisal
- Disclosures
- Original comparative market analysis
- Original real estate listing
- Home inspection report
- Home Improvement
Save these records for possible use when you sell your home.
- Project contracts
- Receipts
- List of contractors
- Home Maintenance
Your home inspection report can be a useful guide for maintenance planning.
- Seasonal planner and log of maintenance tasks
- Receipts for contract work or major repair or replacement expenses
- List of maintenance contractors
- Home Inventory
- Store photocopies in your home files, and originals in a fireproof safe or safe deposit box. Instead of a written inventory, consider making an audio record of your home's contents.
- List of your personal property and its estimated value
- Photographs or videotape of valuables, such as antiques or jewelry
- Receipts, serial numbers and manuals for major appliances and electronics
- Receipts for furniture
- Home Insurance
- Store photocopies in your home files, and originals in a fireproof safe or safe deposit box.
- Homeowners, flood, earthquake, or home warranty policies
- List of insurance agents or companies
- Copies of any correspondence related to claims
Home Data
You'll need these records if you make any structural changes to your home.
- Blueprints
- Floor plans
- Architectural records
- Historical information
- List of contractors and materials suppliers (if you own a newly built home)
- Home Ideas
- Categorize by area, and include garden and landscape ideas.
- Newspaper or magazine articles
- Brochures
- Personal notes
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