Believe it or not, the 2021 hurricane season is just around the corner. We’re less than two months away from June 1. And I know there’s been a lot on your mind this year already, but I have to ask: Is your house ready?
Hurricane prep is its own thing, of course: Specialized windows and shutters, coverings for your chimney and tying down or bringing inside potential projectiles that could damage your home and others’. These are the things you put in place when you know a hurricane is coming.
But now is time for a different, more proactive kind of action. Now is the time to have your home inspected so you can find existing problems—or potential problems—in your home’s infrastructure, while you still have time to get them fixed.
One of the things about being a home inspector in southwest Florida is that I notice things that wouldn’t be a problem in other parts of the country. But every year here in Sarasota-Manatee, we live with the potential for hurricane-force winds, rain and flooding. Those kinds of weather problems can quickly exacerbate little flaws in your home—the kinds of flaws that would otherwise sit dormant for years.
Maybe there’s a weak spot under the eaves, which could allow gusts into the house and add incredible up-force to the whole roof. Maybe there’s an electrical box that could let moisture in during high winds (scary stuff). Maybe there’s a part of the foundation that could be susceptible to even a little bit of flooding, allowing moisture to sit and fester.
There’s virtually an unending list of problems hurricanes can cause. And, of course, some of them can’t be stopped—that’s why they call it an “act of God.”
But that doesn’t mean you’re totally powerless. And it doesn’t mean you just wait until you’re in the cone, shutter your windows and hope for the best.
Schedule a home inspection now, and you’ll have a realistic look at how fit your house is for the coming hurricane season. After all, I don’t make any additional money one way or the other. I’m just here to take a thorough look and tell you what I see. Then you’re free to make your decisions from there.
