How terrible, I have also learned you life can change in a minute. We had a house fire Nov 2nd that was started by a paper shredder. We lost our 4 very loved pups, which was the worst of it. I am currently working on an inventory of our house.... it is so amazing what stuff you have. My sewing machines melted and fabric was charred and smoked.
I wish I would have had pictures to go from. You do remember the big stuff but after living in a rental its all the little stuff that adds up! Our insurance lady that is working with me on my inventory is a sewer (clothes) and a crafter so at least she understands how much my stash and stuff could amount too. So thats a plus! At least take pictures of all your rooms if you don't want to invest the time into list! Stuff like this happens to other people we tend to think, but
it could happen to anyone!

Pictures also help if you're robbed. I know because my Aunts house was robbed while she was in the nursing home. There were a couple of things that if we hadn't had pictures of I'd have totally forgotten them.

After we moved into our new rental and settled in, my husband and I went from room to room with a video camera. We went over each piece of furniture, every photo and picture, the drapes, the quilts, you name it. If it belonged to us, we documented it in word and with video. We talked about when and where we bought the pieces, how much they cost, and what they meant to us. I'd hold up a quilt and talk about how much time, effort and money went into making the quilt. We had some beautiful art, mixed in with the usual stuff, and I pointed out all of the really good stuff. I also pointed out the original art, made by artist friends of mine, that could never be replaced. We did this in every room. If something had a serial number, I read it off. We had a collection of DVD's, and we videoed them and talked about how much (approximately) they originally cost. My sewing room showed my machine, it's serial number, its age, price, and so on. I knew how much fabric I had in my stash (it goes on a card pinned to each piece) and I gave the total number of yards present, and the total value based on the average price I'd paid for it. We did that for EVERY room in the house. Then we made CD copies. They're all over: our safety deposit box, the executor of our estate, good friends who live nearby. And every 6 months, we update the video, and start with: "Here are the new additions for: then give the dates. Thank goodness for video! We started doing this after suffering a huge loss when lightening struck our house and blew out every electronic we had. We had replacement insurance, sure, but it only replaced what we had; it didn't give us the newest model. Still better than nothing!

Thanks to all sharing this good advice.