Walk the whole property, not just the "important" rooms
It's tempting to skip the hallway closet or the laundry room because nothing seems notable there yet. Don't. A room with nothing wrong is exactly the kind of room a landlord or tenant might later claim did have damage — the empty baseline is what protects you. SealMove starts with five common rooms (Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Entryway) but every room is editable: rename, add, or remove any of them, including the defaults.
Capture the room, then anything specific
Start each room with one overview capture — the whole space, from the doorway. Then move to anything that actually matters: existing scuffs, a stained countertop, a loose cabinet hinge, appliance condition. Item labels are optional detail, not a requirement — an itemized inventory is never necessary for the core workflow to work.
Note condition in words, not just photos
A photo shows what something looks like; a short note explains what you noticed that might not be obvious from the image alone — "burner on the back-left doesn't ignite on the first try," for instance. Future you, or a landlord/tenant reading the report eight months from now, won't have the context you have standing in the room right now.
Do it before you sign, not after
The strongest baseline is one taken before you've moved anything in and before you've signed a lease acknowledging the unit's condition. If that's not possible, document as early as you can — the value of a baseline decreases with every day that's passed since you actually took possession.
Sign off when you're done
Finishing a Move-In prompts a Face ID or Touch ID sign-off — a second Secure Enclave signature binding a specific person to that exact, now-unchangeable set of captures. There's no separate "save" step to remember; finishing the walkthrough is the save.
Consider backing it up
A Move-In can sit on one device only, with no account, for the length of an entire lease before its Move-Out ever happens. Right after sign-off, you're offered a one-tap hosted backup — worth taking if a lost or replaced phone would otherwise mean losing the only copy of your baseline.