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What you need to ask yourself is WHAT IF 2007 is a repeat of 2004/2005 hurricane seasons."
you can go one step further
"what if when I got up tomorrow morning I tripped over the dogs hit my head and knocked myself out"
"what if I should be driving to work and get a flat and forgot my cell phone"
"what if I don't get a flu shot and my next door neighbor gets the flu"
"what if I don't go to the movies because the person next to me make talk the whole time "
"what if I spend so much time on the computer I don't realize my wife/husband are seeking attention elsewhere"
"what if god forbid I have a heart attack in the middle of the night and don't wake up"
I would of wasted a whole bunch of my life worrying about "what if"
Location: Orlando, FL - used to be nice, a dump now. Anyone speak English down here???
340 posts, read 432,469 times
Reputation: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by cil
Of course the possibility of a hurricane--or hurricanes should be noted.
Consider it done.
We were indeed lucky this year, but it just goes to show that the "experts" are not always correct.
Heavy weather can happen during the winter, too.
But I am not going to dwell on it. I am just going to try to be prepared.
You are doing good being prepared, not worrying about it. That is basically it.
Don't worry about the weather people... they are pretty much neve right! hehe
Just by ACKNOWLEDGING that hurricanes are real, can form anytime between June 1 and Dec 1 of every year in this area is the key to knowing what you are buying or moving into. This is a risk anyone moving to Florida MUST ACCEPT, just like if you move to Buffalo, NY, you can be stuck in a snowstorm or Kansas with tornadoes or southern CA with earthquakes!!
Buyers need to know this can happen, but not always happen. 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons were a nightmare, people suffered inmensly because of hurricanes. Everyone moving down to FL also incur the risk that if a hurricane does happen, their home owner's insurance rates will probably double or triple. This could keep them from selling their home. They can also lose their home and endure enourmous hardships if a hurricane comes by.
Every consideration MUST be taken before making a across the country move. Otherwise, you are just being stupid!
What you need to ask yourself is WHAT IF 2007 is a repeat of 2004/2005 hurricane seasons.
Please note, I do not wish this upon the state.... I KNOW the pain a hurricane can cause, we had minor damage and it cost quite a bit to repair.
But people who move down here need to take the hurricanes into consideration!! If you move to OK or Kansas, will you not take in account the POSSIBILITY tornadoes?? Have tornadoes not happened before in Kansas? So, why shouldn't people take FL hurricanes in consideration??? Don't we have years that it is hurricane party time down here and everyone suffers inmensly for it?? NOT Considering hurricanes, a very real threat, seems like wishful thinking/silly mentality to me.
I think that people have very short memories. If you ask someone about securing America's borders today, they don't remember 9/11. If you ask about hurricanes in FL, I bet folks would say... do we have hurricanes in FL?? Ask yourself.... WHAT IF??
I'm not really sure what your point is, Christian11. Of course, I ask the question, "what if", (we've asked that question for 26 hurricane seasons. It's not exactly as though we are new to this game.). That's why my husband and I prepare, to the best of our ability. But, that is all I can do; I cannot control the weather, and I see no point in worrying myself sick with the what if's.
Should people take hurricanes into consideration? Absolutely! But, what does that have to do with what I said? My point in my previous post was simply, that once we have prepared, there is no reason to sit around and wring our hands, and stew and fret, about something that we have no further control over. Certainly, one should be responsible to do all that one can to protect one's family and property. But, once I've done that, what else is there to do?
As to how other people act or prepare, that's not up to me. I am responsible for myself and my family. If folks have short memories about the damage that hurricanes can do, I can't help them. Trust me, I have a good memory. Again, that's why we prepare.
Location: Orlando, FL - used to be nice, a dump now. Anyone speak English down here???
340 posts, read 432,469 times
Reputation: 77
Insurance, losing home, etc - Warning to future homeowners in FL
Quote:
Originally Posted by CelticLady1
I'm not really sure what your point is, Christian11. Of course, I ask the question, "what if", (we've asked that question for 26 hurricane seasons. It's not exactly as though we are new to this game.). That's why my husband and I prepare, to the best of our ability. But, that is all I can do; I cannot control the weather, and I see no point in worrying myself sick with the what if's.
You may not be "new on the hurricane game" (as I am not after 11 years), but out-of-state folk are. The point is that "sunshine dreamers" need to get a relaity check and realize this is part of the risks and liabilities they must accept before blindly moving down here on a realtor's advice. Since this is part of their reality, shouldn't they also consider "hey, before 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, Home owner's insurance was kinda affordable, after those years, it went through the roof.... IF God forbid there is even a slight hurricane in 2007, will not my policy premiums skyrocket?? Will I be able to cope with the rates?" I have friends who NOW have roommates in their condos or houses, because the rate increases were so substancial, they need help/additional fundd to pay for it. Is that what you will have to do should there be any more insurance increases or a hurricane?
As you may know, the insurance industry in FL is already demanding insurance hikes. I hear on the news about people losing their policies (company drops the coverage) after paying them in FULL (which to me is nothing but legalized theft by the insurers). Then you have to go to Citizen's Insurance Co, which is currently saying if they don't get at least a 66% increase in premiums they will go bankrupt.
In any case, IF you can get insurance, you also need a GOOOOOOOD policy. 2% deductibles are a no brainer... hwy would anyone do that, when 2% is a LOT, more than any middle-class family can afford to pay out of pocket!! The standard $500 ded for hurricane is the safer option. If you go with Joe's Insurance or Timmy's Insurance Services, you know you will have to go to court just to get paid back. You need a REAL insurer like AllState or State Farm. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for disaster. Oh, make sure you READ everything in the policy, do not believe ANYTHING the insurance agnet tells you, unless it is in writting. Remember Insurance agents are nothing more than salespeople!! Salespeople... they lied, deceve, steal, do whatever it takes to rip someone off.
You cannot control a hurricane, but you can prepare for it. Part of the preparation kit may need to include a GUN, as people from the ghetto come over to steal/loot/rape women after a hurricane, specially if you have a power generator. If you already live in an area besieged by ghettos or even if you live in an actual ghetto, people will most likely steal your power generator if you have one. You cannot stay up all night, and you will probably be asleep when they steal it anyway, you won't even hear it. Call teh cops? LOL They will not come, all the streets are knocked down everywhere, how will they get to you. Plus, they have 1 million other calls to respond to. After last year's hurricanes, police had to guard generators chained to traffic lights, as the ghetto folk were coming to the lights and clipping the chain on the generators. Looting happened, not as bad as New Orleans, but it happened in several places, specially in Kissimmee and north Orlando... Paramore, etc. Remember?
Oh, if you live in a Condo... LOL... OMG, your life will be a living hell after a hurricane if there are any damages to the complex or any of the buildings (such as leaks, flooding, mold, sink holes, stucco damage, fallen trees, fire from lit candles on other condo units during the powerless hours, etc, etc, etc). First of all, the HOA will estimate damages and file a claim with the inusrance co. Once the claim is filed, the insurance co will jack up the HOA's rates, automatically increasing your HOA montly fee. Then if the insurance policy does not cover enough to repair the damages or the deductible is too high, guess what happens then? The HOA files a "special assessment" on you. You get so many days to pay up 100% of whatever they ask to cover the damage that the insurance didn't cover. These special assessments can be as high as $20,000 - $30,000. Sometimes they let you pay installments when it is this much and use the "reserve funds", but other times, it's pay up or they file for foreclosure on your condo. Lovely, huh?
Location: Orlando, FL - used to be nice, a dump now. Anyone speak English down here???
340 posts, read 432,469 times
Reputation: 77
How to mitigate hurricane damages
How to try and mitigate the effects of a hurricane:
You also need to have a nice amount of ca$h saved up. After a hurricane, don't believe these commercials on TV of insurance companies RUNNING down here to help the folk. LOL... that is just histerical!! That is the biggest bunch of crap I have ever heard! My wife works in the inusrance industry, let me tell you, these adjusters EARN COMMISSIONS FOR PAYING YOU AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE for your claim! They will tell you your totalled house is worth, I dunno, $20k less than what it is or will try to trick you into accepting something less than the claim is worth and the insurance adjuster will save the company $20k and get a $2k bonus (I am not sure excatly how that works, but the adjusters make money from ripping off people). The adjuster's job is to pay you as little as possible, that is all they do all they long. They are good at keeping their faces straight too, you will be amazed at some of the rattlesnake adjusters you will meet and deal with!
Even after the hurricane, you will not get your insurance check right away, even if you take a low ball offer. First of all, the post office will be closed for a week or longer. You need to have cash in hand, so you can pay whatever it is the 7-11 guy asks you just so you can get a bag of ice or a snack or a gallon of gas in a gas can. Because you will be cut off from working and getting paid, you MUST have a nice cash reserve. If you live paycheck to paycheck (like 80% - 90% of Floridians do) you should NOT move down here until you have at the very least $2,000 - $5,000 saved up in CASH. You need to triple lock the cash at home, so that you will not spend this money. Why? Because you will be out of work (in my case, for example 2 and 1/2 weeks - no pay) until power gets restored. If you don't work, no pay, right? If you work in the hospitality or you work "Disney jobs", then know that tourists will not be coming down for a while and you might get "laid off until further notice". If you need to wait for the insurance check, how will you feed your family or yourself in the meantime? What if your place had water intrusion and mold is begining to form... will you have cash to go to a hotel? Insurers will be in no hurry to pay you, they are taking a loss, why hurry to pay a loss. Thi is specially true if you do not want to take a settlement check for less than you know your cliam is worth. Are you going to take several thousand less than what you know you should get and suck up the losses or will you have enough $ to get by until you can talk to a qualified real estate attorney and sue the ******* insurance companies and get the $ you deserve on the claim? How will you put gas in the car (if you can find it)? It becomes a cash economy after a hurricane, no kidding, credit card machines all shut down, everyone wants cash. Oh as for FEMA food stamps and help, get in line. Just in illegal aliens, you will have to fight in line with thousands and thousands of them. They ran out of ice and other goodies several times before getting another batch... in the meantime you sit amoung thousands of illegals sucking off the government while you, the taxpayer, the little Mr. or Mrs. "do everthing right" sit out in the hot sun and struggle to get a bag of ice. Fun times, specially when illegal cut in line and you are so outnumbered, you cannot say anything without being attacked by a swamr of them on the parking lot.
Bottom line: Unless you are really well financially secure, even the possibility of a hurricane can bright to light how vulnerable you are in a disaster-prone state like Florida. You out-of-state folks need to consider this carefully before even making plans to move down. If you don't have at least $2k - $5k in cash on hand in case of a hurricane, then you are setting yourself up for disaster. No, you do not live worrying about a hurricane, but if these preparation are not made, if the $$ is not there, then you will pay a heavy (sometimes irreparable price) for your folly. Condo folks, if you have damages to your condo, you are risking possibly losing it altogether, not to mention all the harassment you will endure when they try to foreclose on you. Keep that in mind.
Cheers!
Last edited by Christian11; 12-20-2006 at 11:26 AM..
Bottom line: Unless you are really well financially secure, even the possibility of a hurricane can bright to light how vulnerable you are in a disaster-prone state like Florida. You out-of-state folks need to consider this carefully before even making plans to move down. If you don't have at least $2k - $5k in cash on hand in case of a hurricane, then you are setting yourself up for disaster. No, you do not live worrying about a hurricane, but if these preparation are not made, if the $$ is not there, then you will pay a heavy (sometimes irreparable price) for your folly. Condo folks, if you have damages to your condo, you are risking possibly losing it altogether, not to mention all the harassment you will endure when they try to foreclose on you. Keep that in mind.
Cheers!
Remember that when you "own" a condo all you have is a percentage of the value of the complex. If it is destroyed you have to rely on insurance to rebuild, you are powerless to do anything. In a home or non-condo townhome you can make repairs yourself if necessary, but in a condo that's simply not possible. The riskiest buildings have a wood roof. A fire or even a summer storm can damage the roof, rendering the building uninhabitable overnight. Many buildings suffer from neglect, electrical problems and plumbing troubles have caused whole buildings to be evacuated till repairs are done. In the meatime you are homeless and STILL have to pay your mortgage/taxes/maintenance. If you MUST buy a condo never, EVER buy in a building with a wood roof. Also be aware that oceanfront high rise buildings can develop structural weaknesses from corrosion that unless caught, could cause catastrophic failure in a hurricane. As for me I would never buy a condo, it's better to live in a shack on a lot you own.
What state had the MOST EXPENSIVE disasters? And the best is yet to come as developers set more hurricane bait every day.
The most expensive natural disaster in the United States up to 2006 in terms of insured losses is Hurricane Katrina that hit Florida and then devastated the Gulf Coast, which flooded New Orleans and sent a 28-foot high storm surge into Alabama and Mississippi.
The estimated cost of this hurricane is $45 billion. Before this Hurricane Andrew held the title since August 1992, which slammed into the Bahamas and Florida costing around $22.3 billion.
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hehe
Otherwise, you are just being stupid!
Of course, I ask the question, "what if", (we've asked that question for 26 hurricane seasons. It's not exactly as though we are new to this game.
). That's why my husband and I prepare, to the best of our ability. But, that is all I can do; I cannot control the weather, and I see no point in worrying myself sick with the what if's.
Take a close look at the map
Insurance, losing home, etc - Warning to future homeowners in FL
