Keeping Your Second Home Safe From Storms
(Many people have the idea that buying a second home as an investment or as a vacation property will be all fun and games, but there is actually a lot of work involved especially if it is in an area known for storms. )
Making sure your home is safe during and after a storm can be a very big responsibility to take on, filled with a lot of stress. There are a lot of things to think about to make sure your home is safe, and this task is made even harder depending on how far away you live from your second home or vacation property.
An article by Amy Gunderson in the September 20, 2006 edition of The New York Times, “Is my house still standing,” discusses some tips for keeping your home away from home secure while you are not present.
“Managing a second home from afar inevitably means dealing with whatever mother nature dishes out. From tropical storms to full-fledged hurricanes and tornados, there are steps you can take to not only prepare a vacation home for the worst and insure that repairs are made in a timely manner, but get an answer to that pressing post storm question: Is my house still standing?”
The best thing you can do to ensure your home makes it through a storm is to have someone that lives in the town or neighborhood your home is in to essentially be in charge of your home when you are away.
It can be a friend, or maybe even a family member, but make sure that person is responsible and will carry out all of the necessary precautions in the event of a storm.
If you do not know anyone in the area who can monitor your home during and after a storm, hiring a professional property manager is always a good idea.
“For homeowners who rent out their house for any portion of the year, the first line of defense might be a property manager, who charges anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of the gross rental income. In exchange, come storm time, the manager will help to secure the house, bringing in any property that could become a flying projectile, and provide updates on damage.”
In storm prone areas such as Florida, securing hurricane shutters is probably the most important thing to do, if not your home could get destroyed by flying debris.
During a hurricane or other heavy rain, most of the damage that occurs to homes is from flying objects, not from actual flood water; so make sure those shutters are on securely.
You can usually call a local handyman or repair company to come to your home and make sure the shutters are on correctly and securely, because it could save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
“Owners without a property manager should make preparations for their home in advance. Basics include having a list of phone numbers for the local police and fire departments, neighbors who are likely to be in town, and for condo owners, the phone number of the condo association.”
If you have the extra cash to spend, there is even new state-of-the-art technology that allows homeowners to keep an eye on their property from afar.
“Smarthome.com, the retail arm of SmartLabs, sells monitoring devices that can help keep tabs on a home remotely, using cameras to reveal that there is two feet of snow on the roof or six inches of water in the basement. The company is also working on a wireless technology that will link all the systems in a house and contact the owner with a phone call if there are any problems.”
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