Closing on our Islandwalk home in August 2014! (Palm Coast: HOA, homeowners insurance)

[Connecticutjennyg]

Hi Everyone! I was so happy and excited to find this forum... Very helpful and insightful. The hubby and I will be closing on our home in August.... Very exciting but also daunting! given differences in requirement for inspections and maintenance for pest and mold. I am feeling overwhelmed! We currently reside in lower Fairfield county Connecticut and will visit our home at least 3-4 times annually, but we won't make the complete move down until June 2016. What I would like help with are a few question/ concerns we have.
Since we will not be there daily, I know enough to keep the ac running to keep the humidity/moisture out of the home..and we have been told to leave the doors all open for better air circulation... But do I get a pest control contract now or wait till we get down there .. This is not something we are familiar with... We had the inspection and pest inspection, everything is solid, but I was just told we had to have a wind mitigation and possible a 4 point inspection... Are both necessary? I plan on having the wind mitigation one done. I have a lot more questions but this is enough for now... Any help will be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance

[macrodome2]

Welcome to the neighborhood. I know IslandWalk covers lawn maintenance, but do they cover bugs as well? Check your HOA documents. We have to do our own lawn and bug over at Stoneybrook and I've been using Lawncare Extraordinaire for the lawn chemicals, shrubs, and bugs. They will spray the inside the first time. Then they come quarterly and spray around the outside and the lanai. I had them start within a month of our closing as I wasn't sure what the prior owners did. We bought a resale and I wanted everything dead by the time we came down.

We're not there full time either, but where there from Nov to Apr and everything was fine. We had a beetle in the garage, so the next time they came I asked them to spray in the garage as well as outside. Inside I only saw one itty bitty spider in the kitchen floor which I may have dragged in with a box from UPS.

We're also very careful with food. We treat the house like we did when we vacationed in the Caribbean. Bread, rolls, etc goes in the fridge. Anything that would attract ants goes in the fridge or a sealed container. The only thing we relaxed on was cereal. We will leave an open box in the pantry while we're there and eating it everyday, but when we leave, everything goes in a sealed container or is thrown out. We even put unopened pasta, cereal, rice, anything not in a jar or a can in that sealed container.

We had the inspections done when we had the home inspection done and got the necessary paperwork to the insurance co. If you're having an inspector do a final inspection, have it done then.

I have a home monitor that checks the house. I left the a/c set to 80, the house has been fine, and the electric bills have been under $50/mo. (one story 2400 sq ft house)

[FLSnowbirds]

We use Keller for Bug Spraying

We have a House Checker that comes twice a month. The humidistat went whacko in between visits and the house was on 84 for who knows how long. We took out the Humidistat. We put in a Wireless Thermostat & now leave the Internet on year around. About $29 a month but not taking chances. We check the thermostat from up north daily. We get alerts if the temp goes above 82 or the humidity is above 45%. We adjust when we feel necessary.

We have our AC Serviced twice a year & low & behold in between visits the Condensation line got clogged and it overflowed at bottom of unit in house. Luckily the overflow drained properly. When the neighbor came there was a lot of water coming out of a pipe in the garage. We have now had a T put in & will make sure it is cleaned when they come out twice a year. When we are here for length periods we will clean it out also.

How to Clean an AC Condensation Drain Line | Today's Homeowner Video Channel

You can't count on house checkers for everything.

Best of Luck !

[catsupbottle]

Hope you are as happy in Island Walk as we are

[Nancy in Nokomis]

You want to get a wind mitigation inspection done - it will probably save you money on wind insurance - if you carry a mortgage you have to get wind insurance and I think you should get it anyway - this will be in addition to your homeowners insurance.

I would start the pest control right away - Florida is full of bugs -

You also should have someone check on your home from time to time to see that the air conditioner and everything else is working.

[nomosno]

We use Palm Coast pest control as well as many of our neighbors. The interior/exterior will be initially treated and than an exterior treatment quarterly. Ask for Joe he will give you a list of recommended cleaning solutions that work great. We have been living in IslandWalk since Nov. 2013 and are loving it!

[dpbarr2000]

The association will cover exterior pest treatment that should keep you from having to treat the inside,especially since its brand new. There is no need for a wind mitigation inspection since the association will also cover the exterior if you are in a villa or townhome

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I thought the OP was talking about a single family home. I am surprised condos cover your wind insurance - that's a big expense! Well - I am sure they get the money out of you in other ways.

[DragonflyMom]

Jenny, we are closing on out Islandwalk home in October, so our houses may be in the same area of the neighborhood where all the new construction is going on. Maybe I'll see you at water aerobics!!

Debra King

[SoFLGal]

Congrats to all the new residents of our community! Don't go away after you've purchased. Come back and help others who have questions about the area. Seems as though after some people buy they get stuck in Margaritaville and you never see them again