A great exterior might be what gives a house outside appeal, but it's what's inside that really transforms a house into a home. Tchotchkes, the small, miscellaneous, decorative items that don't really do anything but sit on your shelves and gather dust but for some reason you just can't live without, are an integral part of your home. If you're a serious collector, chances are those tchotchkes didn't come cheap. What's going to happen if your home is robbed, or you have a fire? Is your homeowners insurance company going to pick up the slack?

The answer is almost always going to be yes. You'd be absolutely amazed what homeowners insurance companies will willingly and gleefully insure. Did you know you can insure your shoes? Your jewelry? Your family heirlooms? Not to mention the usual line-up: electronics, furniture, etc.

So if you're an avid collector of Faberge eggs or Tiffany glass you can relax knowing your homeowners insurance has you covered. Of course, there are a few addendums, a couple of quid pro quos, a little bit of fine print not everyone bothers to read. If your insurance company doesn't know about it, they can't possibly cover it. And there's a pretty good chance if you haven't listed it on your itemized list of belongings your home insurance claims are probably going to get shot down.

Every company has their own policy when it comes to insuring your tchotchkes, but an almost universal rule is that they can't protect what they don't know about. That's like expecting you to keep an eye on the million dollar diamond ring your neighbor hid underneath your sink and didn't bother to tell you about. Would you expect to be responsible for it if something should happen to it? Of course not. Nobody would expect you to be. So why would it be any different for your homeowners insurance?

A good rule of thumb, especially if you're a collector, is to update the inventory list on your homeowners insurance at least once a year and/or any time you add something new and valuable to your collection. By keeping up you're never going to be left struggling to catch up-or to pay to replace something your home insurance would gladly have covered if they'd only known about it!

Did you know that your homeowners insurance will cover tchotchkes left in your car? And those your child takes to their college dorm room? Insurers consider these places to be essentially an extension of your home, which is good news because colleges and auto insurance companies won't touch the loss of your personal possessions with a ten foot pole! It's up to you to make sure your insurance company knows what you own and where it is (for example, they should probably know your son or daughter took your $2,000 computer to their dorm room), but from that point on they should have you covered.

No questions asked.