What to photograph the day you move in
On move-in day, you are surrounded by information about your house that you will never have this much access to again. The previous owner just left. Nothing is hidden behind furniture. You can crawl around the water heater without apologizing.
Spend twenty minutes with your phone and take the following photos. Save them somewhere you'll find them in five years, not loose in your Camera Roll between brunch pictures.
1. Every nameplate on every appliance
Furnace, AC condenser, water heater, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, dryer, microwave, range, garbage disposal. Pull each one out far enough to find the metal sticker with the model and serial number. That tiny photo is what unlocks every warranty claim, every parts order, every "is this still supported?" question for the next fifteen years.
2. Every shutoff valve and the electrical panel
Main water shutoff. Gas main. The little valves under each toilet and sink. The breaker panel with the door open so you can read the labels, plus a second photo with the door closed so you can find it again. When something is leaking, you do not want to be searching.
3. The HVAC filter slot, with the old filter still in it
Get the size printed on the side of the existing filter. Photograph it before you throw it away. You'll buy a six-pack on Amazon and never have to think about the size again.
4. Every paint can in the basement or garage
The previous owner usually leaves a small graveyard of half-empty paint cans. Photograph the lid of each one (color name, code, brand, sheen, and which room it was for if they wrote it). Three years from now, when you patch a wall, you will weep with gratitude.
5. The water meter, gas meter, and electrical meter reading
Take a photo of each one on the day you take possession. If a utility ever bills you for the previous owner's usage, and they sometimes do, this is the photo that resolves it in one email.
6. The roof from a few angles, from the ground
You don't need to climb anything. Just walk around the house and photograph each face of the roof, and the gutters. This becomes the baseline for any future insurance claim after a hailstorm or wind event. Insurance companies are very interested in what your roof looked like before.
7. Inside every cabinet and closet, empty
Sounds obsessive. Pays for itself the first time you wonder "was that water stain there when we moved in?" Photographic memory wins arguments, including with yourself.
8. Whatever is in the attic and crawlspace
Insulation depth, any ductwork, the underside of the roof, the joists. You will essentially never look up there again unless something is wrong. The before-photo is what tells the contractor what changed.
9. Any document the previous owner left behind
Stack of manuals in a kitchen drawer. Permit on the fridge. A handwritten note about the sprinkler controller. Photograph all of it, even if you think you'll keep the paper. You won't.
10. The thermostat, mid-cycle
Make a note of what brand it is, what model, and whether it's already paired with anything. Some smart thermostats stay linked to the previous owner's account for years if no one resets them.
Twenty minutes. About sixty photos. The cheapest insurance policy you will ever take out on the house. Holm was built around exactly this, a home that remembers what's in it so you don't have to, but the discipline matters more than the tool. Take the photos. Put them somewhere safe. Thank yourself in 2031.