Be sure you call our agent and get the upgrades and discount. Generally, you get an inspection for 150 bucks. If you don't save that in your premium, you get it back. it may cost you a buck three eighty to have them reinforce doors, whatever, but it's worth it. Or, do what what my Uncle Vito, nicknamed "the Torch" would do. Be sure to take the good silver out of the house first.
Home owner insurance rates are different from region to region and Florida has hurricane deductibles also.
And I don't talk about things I don't know about. In 90, I had a customer that was a retired Air Force General. We were talking about Hussein, and I opined he wouldn't be stupid enough to fight for Kuwait. The guy said, verbatim , "Oh, he'll fight alright." What I didn't know until later was, they use retired General Officers, and show them contingency plans. When you hear Casey say he could fight them, 90 days to move troops, etc., it's all been drafted and reviewed. But I learned one thing. You can read in History books about Hitler and Tojo, and that Japan never had a chance but stumbled into war anyway. But reading it is different than living it. And remember how frightened we all were in 91. Biden saying Hussein had artillery that fired shells the size of boxcars, and we'd lose 100,000 guys. Despots are horribly unpredictable. You and I know nothing about NK, except that they're crazy. Don't be surprised if you wake up some morning, and we hit them with a preemptive strike, or that Japan goes nuclear, or that they tried to overwhelm the South. Remember, 59 years ago they tried it, and the Chinese bailed them out. Why wouldn't they think they'd do it again?
We had a HUGE flood here in Houston in the 90s. More than one 2 story house had the oddest thing happen, the downstairs flooded but the top half burned. :eek:
New roofs/replacements are required to have a "3 dimensional shingle" (may have used the wrong phrase) where the local ordinance requires it to have a 40 year life....the insurance company insist on it being replaced within 25 years. The category classification is a bit misunderstood....the key to a destructive blow , whether it is a tropical storm cum category one or any other set of categories, is dependant on the strength and duration of the wind. If you experience damage you don't give a rat's arse what category it was classified. The last blow we had was a tropical force increased to a category 1 and it was a lot more destructive than the previous 3 hurricanes over the last 5/6 years....of course it also depends on your location through the hurricane/storm. I have been dumped by 2 insurance companies in the last 20 years (no claims)....don't know what Citizens will do other than try to price the homeowner out of their house as they are the "insurer of last resort".
Of course they are... to a degree. But if the companies were allowed to charge the proper amount* to cover the risk and make a profit, they wouldn't be withdrawing from the market. * you can bet the government is intervening in premium rates to keep them artificially low. Same stupid principle as rebuilding New Orleans below sea level.
FT, you're right. I was flip with my response to the NK question, and my answer gave very little substance. I absolutely agree that NK is an unpredictable (wildly so) regime. And I do think the fact that there are succession issues looming large make it more so. I should have said the NK has acted consistently as a 'paper tiger' for some time, engaging in a lot of saber rattling and bluff, but for 40+ some years, has once failed to follow through with any significant provocation. The problem NK faces, even if it is truly irrational (which I'm not entirely sure it is), is that it has such a large conventional capability in such close proximity to major civilian South Korean population clusters, I do think they realize that should a war break out, there is little limit to the response of the U.S. and NATO in destroying their entire infrastructure and military with incredible force and speed.
NK is one of the most predictable regimes on the planet. How many times have we gone through this exact same cycle? Every nine months, for over a decade now, like freakin' clockwork. They are paper tigers and completely ignorable by the West. That said, it's been a VERY long time since a US President didn't "save democracy" somewhere on the planet by sending in the troops or carpet bombing (or both) - it may well be that Obama's inevitable military excursion will be over NK. Though frankly I doubt it - there are far less risky ways to show off one's penis size.
I don't live in Florida but do live in the California foothills. When I built our house in the early '80's I considered the two local threats and designed and built to handle the forest fire and earthquake dangers. It is an elevational style ( stuck into the side of a hill) reinforced concrete house that has dirt on the roof and three sides and a fire defensible meadow on the exposed front. A little weed wacking each spring takes care of that. I question the logic of not building to ameliorate the local threats. Once paid for screw the insurance companies. Drop it.