An asset is anything in your home with a make, model, install date, or warranty worth tracking. Water heater, furnace, roof, dishwasher, smart thermostat, sump pump, garage door opener, septic system, fence — if a contractor would ask you about it, it belongs in the manifest.
Two ways to capture
Mode A photo extraction (fastest). Take a photo of the nameplate or sticker. Upload it to the asset capture flow. Mode A reads the photo with a vision model and pre-fills make, model, serial, manufacture date, and any other fields it can see. You confirm or correct, then save. Fifteen to thirty seconds per asset on a good day.
Manual entry. Type it in. Useful when there's no nameplate handy, or for soft assets like roof, deck, or fence where there's nothing to photograph.
What to capture
Aim for the load-bearing systems first:
- HVAC. Furnace, AC, heat pump, mini-split, boiler.
- Water. Water heater, softener, filtration, sump pump, well pump.
- Roof. Material, install date, warranty, contractor.
- Plumbing. Main shutoff location, water pressure, fixtures.
- Electrical. Main panel, sub-panels, generator, EV charger, solar.
- Appliances. Range, fridge, dishwasher, washer, dryer, disposal.
- Smart home. Thermostat, security, leak sensors, hub.
Skip the toaster. Skip the lamps. Capture stops paying off when the asset is replaceable for under a hundred dollars and has no install date worth knowing.
Categories
Each asset has a category and a sub-category. Categories are universal (HVAC, plumbing, appliance, structural, exterior, smart home, security). You don't need to memorize them — pick the one that fits, and the system surfaces the right fields for that category.
Tracking warranties
Add the warranty when you save the asset, or come back later. Warranty length, expiration date, terms, claim contact, and a photo of the document. The dashboard surfaces warranties as they approach expiration and as soon as a service event opens against the asset.
What if I don't know the install date?
Use your best estimate. The closing disclosure on a home sale lists major-system ages. A neighbor with a same-build home can usually give you a year. Worst case, mark "unknown" — Homaic will surface estimated lifespan based on category averages, which is enough to make a replacement decision.