There was a day when capturing the moment was not easy. Not that long ago a good picture required a good camera. The most common cameras were made by Kodak and Polaroid, names hardly heard of today but at one time pretty much ruled the camera world.
The camera above is a Kodak #1 camera. This was a good camera in it's day. They made and sold so many of them that even today you can pick one up on eBay for as little as $30.00.
I'd guess that there are two or three generations today that have never owned a camera. The first digital cameras hit the retail market in the late 1970's but it wasn't long and they were replaced by the cameras we use today in our phones. Samsung introduced the first smartphone with a camera in the year 2000. An interesting history can be found HERE.
Cameras and Real Estate are a great mix.
Skipping over the obvious joy of photography there are many practical reasons to join Real Estate and photography together. Before I proceed to "why" I want to point out that digit storage is dirt cheap. A 1TB external hard drive will hold approximately 500,000 photos.
WHY
A photographic history of your home will bring you many benefits. A photographic history of your home from day one, even before you move in the furniture, will show you and others the progress of change over your ownership. From day one and going forward it is good to have a history that you can retain for insurance reasons. Pictures of any structural changes before and after are not only valuable for insurance reasons but can also be used to show added value if/when you sell the home. The same can be said about added out buildings and even added landscaping and cement work. Even added insulation, plumbing and electrical work is worth documenting for insurance and future resale value (don't forget about that new electrical panel).
In the interest of brevity.
Why take pictures of appliances and furniture? Because you can! Insurance would be the number one answer to that question. If you can date stamp these photos (of "stuff") it can be handy for warranty information. It helps settle arguments: ie "Honey, we have had this old couch for ever, let's get a new one". or "Dear, you just bought a chainsaw last year". You get the idea.
In conclusion.
Most of us have a camera with us every waking hour of the day, why not use it? Storage is cheap.
Documentation of your home and what is in it is a blessing should you have an insurance claim. Documentation can help you prove the value you have added to the home when the time comes to sell your home in the future. Reviewing your homes history can bring you many smiles and settle a few arguments in the future.
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