Hurricane Season and Your Home: What Florida Buyers and Sellers Should Know
Every June, the same conversation starts up in Florida. The weather people get serious, the stores sell out of water, and my phone rings with one question. What does hurricane season mean for my house?
Here is how I answer, whether you are buying, selling, or staying put.
If you are buying
Ask about the roof before you ask about the kitchen. Roof age drives your insurance conversation in Florida, and insurance is part of your real monthly payment. Ask when it was replaced and whether there is documentation. Then ask about the rest. Shutters or impact windows, garage door bracing, and whether the home has had a wind mitigation inspection. That inspection is a short report that can earn you real discounts on your insurance. If the seller does not have one, your agent can help you line one up.
If you are selling
Get your paperwork together before you list. Roof permits, the wind mitigation report, receipts for any storm upgrades. When a buyer's insurance quote comes back reasonable because your documents were ready, your deal stays smooth. Surprises during the insurance step are one of the quiet deal killers in this state, and they are mostly preventable.
If you are staying put
This is the season to walk your property like an inspector. Trim the branches hanging over the roof. Know where your water shutoff is. Take photos of every room and the outside of the house, because if you ever need to file a claim, pictures from before make everything easier. Keep your important documents somewhere that is not a kitchen drawer.
And a note from my own backyard
Every storm season I stake my young fruit trees and move my potted plants against the house, because I have learned the hard way what a gust does to a potted papaya. Your yard is part of your storm prep too. Anything that can fly, secure it or bring it in.
None of this is about fear. Florida homes are built for Florida, and the codes here have gotten stronger with every decade. It is about being the prepared one in the room, because prepared people make calm decisions, and calm decisions are good real estate decisions.
Buying or selling during storm season in Lakeland or anywhere in Polk County? Reach out and I will help you walk through it, clipboard in hand.