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Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake & Hampton Roads |
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Hang on to your House! It's Gonna get Bumpy!
Hang on to your House! It's Gonna get Bumpy! By Charlie Laurens of perfecthouse.com
Being on the Ground in Mississippi one week after Hurricane Katrina profoundly changed my life and my commitment to educating my friends and clients about protecting their property. June 1 marks the 1st day of the 06' hurricane season and the media is all of over the issue. The news is all bad as usual. Headlines and talking heads bombard us with leads like "Insurance Companies Canceling Policies" & "Forecast Calls for Double the number of Major Storms"... How do we process all this new negative information? What could it mean to you personally? What control, if any, do we really have? We all here the dollar value damage estimated after a major Hurricane. Most of the money is in Real Estate Property Damage. Unfortunately many folks do not prepare for the financial impact a storm could have. This article will not focus on evacuation plans, batteries toilet paper, dried milk, or storing bottled water. What we will discuss is the plans and action a home owner can put in to place to try to limit loss to your family's largest asset, YOUR HOME. Clearly, Charlie Laurens and Associates Markets Homes and is a Top Real estate Professional he does not sell insurance. So why is #1 all about insurance? Home owners often have the wrong insurance or no insurance for certain issues regarding their home. Too often we try to keep our monthly payment as low as possible and ignore advice or do not let a trustworthy Insurance pro evaluate our total risk. Believe it, an extra $35 per month could mean the difference between loosing EVERYTHING and getting your home rebuilt. Before you procrastinate think about the tens of thousands of folks that are living, right now, in converted Steel Shipping containers. They did not NEED to be insured; none of their neighbors had flood insurance or needed it. Educate yourself, don't take others word for it. Get Facts not opinions. The First thing is to KNOW where your home lies in relation to the historical flood contour maps or the FEMA Flood map. Just because your Mortgage Company does not REQUIRE Flood insurance does not mean you are not at risk. FEMA has developed an outstanding resource center to help educate folks and assist you in being prepared. Click here to access The FEMA Site for more information regarding planning & coastal Flood areas http://www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm . MAPS CHANGE! Some cities provide a service to property owners to let you know exactly where your home lies in the flood zone Virginia Beach Virginia is an excellent example of a city that has a progressive interactive Web Site. Their Emapping feature is outstanding and is located at http://www.vbgov.com/e-gov/emapping/. A surveyor can also provide you with an actually Flood Elevation certificate so you will know the actual height of your home as it relates to Sea Level. You may already have a survey and FEC in your closing papers. Here are just a few facts about insurance. Take action NOW by evaluating your home and meet with your insurance professional for an objective update of your risk. Your home owner's policy does NOT cover Rising Flood waters of any kind from inside or out. Without a special Rider it does not cover flood from backed up sewer systems either. Yes, Sometimes the water comes from the inside! Your policy may have exclusions leaving you UNCOVERED if the Storm "HAS A NAME". That's right, some policies will not pay for roofs, siding, or any wind driven rain damage from a storm that has a Name. It does NOT have to be a hurricane. Sit down with someone and evaluate the WHOLE picture. Remember, Katrina ruined lives over 100 MILES inland. Many of the folks were not in flood zones and were also not insured for the potential. Think about it ...most folks in Hampton roads are at or only 20 feet above sea level and only 20 miles from The Bay or Ocean. MANY TIMES YOU CAN NOT GET A POLICY CHANGED OR GET FLOOD INSURANCE WHILE THERE IS A NAMED STORM IN THE ATLANTIC. Flood insurance is inexpensive and is a Federal program. It also does not go into effect right away so plan ahead. Can your home stand in the wind? There may not be a lot of structural improvements or alterations possible to an existing home however there are advance preparations that can save you money and a lot of grief. As you start this exercise you will most likely identify risks not listed in this article. Write them ALL down and make a check list to complete them in order of priority. Start early by evaluating your yard, fencing, and Especially TREES! Yep, if you have a tree that is hanging over your roof or leaning toward your home get an arborist to evaluate it and deal with it now! Tree service is not expensive until EVERYONE needs it yesterday. We have had a 70 foot Red Oak tree removed between two homes for less than $900. We also had not idea the pretty green tree was actually hollow and almost DEAD. Posing a sever threat to our homes. Replace fence panels and planks Screws are better than nails to avoid flying debris. Replace any breached siding, roofing or windows to avoid wind driven rain leaks inside. Prior to a storm have a family plan for storing lawn furniture etc. also you may want to have a contract pre measure and deliver numbered plywood window covers/shutters. Every thing is MUCH cheaper BEFORE an emergency. Lastly, please have a plan to be on your own for up to a week after a storm. You must have a water plan if you stay home. The power WILL GO OUT. Generators are popular and DANGEROUS. Many folks kill themselves from electrocution and carbon monoxide poisoning well after a storm. Tying a Generator directly through your panel box is popular. Always rely on a licensed election to set up a proper circuit for you. The cost is not high and may save your life. Never back feed a panel box! You may also consider storing tarps or heavy 6 mil plastic in rolls to cover breaches in roofing and siding if needed. This preparation may save you thousands in additional interior damage well after the storm. We are terribly insignificant in the face of nature's fury. However there is no need to live under stress and fear every summer. There are forces we can not control no matter what we do. We can however calculate the risks and be as ready as possible to limit loss. Be smart. Be prepared. Then after your plan has been made and executed you can turn the channel when Chicken Little is on the news crying "The Sky is Falling"
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(757) 222-9145 Fax (757) 416-3571 Toll Free (866) 299-9145 Rose & Womble Realty Company
4190 S Plaza Trl
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
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