If you have decided to move to a region where hurricanes will be a real threat for you, you are going to want to educate yourself on your new way of living. Here are some things you want to know when you are looking at single family homes for sale in an area prone to hurricanes:
Consider the age of the house you are looking at buying: When you are buying in an area that has a good likeliness of being hit by a hurricane, you want to know that the home can withstand the storm so that it will incur as little damage as possible. Newly-built homes in these areas tend to be built more for endurance of such happenings, and they have newer material, which also helps them maintain their integrity.
Estimate the cost of your home owner's insurance: When buying in a hurricane zone you also want to know what you are going to be looking at as far as your homeowner's insurance costs. You definitely want to have insurance for hurricane coverage, and this can be costly in those areas. Therefore, make sure you are going to be able to find good coverage that is within your price range for the house you are thinking of buying. In some cases, buying a home that's a bit farther from the water can make a big difference to the amount of your premiums.
Consider safety upgrades: If you are thinking about buying an older home, then you should have the home inspected and also make sure that there are enough safety upgrades that have been done to the home to help it withstand a hurricane. These upgrades can include metal clips that strengthen the home by connecting the roof to the walls, impact-rated doors and windows and even impact rated garage doors.
Learn about protecting yourself right away: You don't want to wait until a hurricane is upon you to start learning how to protect yourself in your new place. Some of the things you want to learn about and need to prepare for include:
- boarding up the windows in time,
- getting and using sandbags to decrease the chances of indoor flooding,
- knowing which radio stations in the area are the best for hurricane information,
- getting and using a generator should you lose power in a small hurricane you decided to stay through,
- understanding when you should evacuate and which routes would be the best, and
- knowing and how to put together a survival stockpile.
