Here are my tips for the new homeowners coming to live in Florida.
Instead of talking about real estate, today I want to discuss the elephant in the room: Hurricane season is here. With all of the new residents coming to Florida from the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West Coast, I thought I should give our new neighbors some info on what to do if there is a hurricane on its way.
Hurricane season in Florida starts June 1 and goes until November 30. However, if you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that things don’t get ramped up until August, and typically things tend to wind down by the end of October. I’m not qualified to make those kinds of predictions though, so let’s look at someone who is. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) thinks that there is a 60% chance that we will have a more active than normal hurricane season this year.
What should you do about it? Start by taking a look at properties that you own and see how they are situated in terms of their elevation. You can go to fema.gov/flood-maps to determine if you need flood insurance. Flood insurance covers rising water, while homeowners insurance covers water coming from any other direction. If you are in an area that requires flood insurance, get it.
“Hurricane season is here.”
What do you do once the storm hits? You may just want to get out of town depending on how bad the storm is going to be. Go to maps.coj.net/evsearch to see what evacuation zone your home is in. If you decide to stay put, make sure you have the supplies necessary in case things go awry. A simple search for hurricane kits on Amazon yields all sorts of results.
The city of Jacksonville has prepared a guide for how to respond during a hurricane. If you’d like me to send you a copy, send me an email. If you have any real estate questions, feel free to reach out to me at 904-405-1995. I’d love to help you.
