Hurricane hazards come in many forms, including storm surge, high winds, tornadoes, and flooding.  History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters.  by knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take can reduce these effects.  I hope you find this information informative.  Please bookmark this BLOG for future reference.

Checklists:

• Hurricane Preparation Tips: https://www.rapb.com/docs/articles/06-28–2015-rslc-article—hurricane-preparation-tips.pdf?sfvrsn=2
• Palm Beach County Emergency Supply Kit Shopping List: http://www.pbcgov.com/dem/hurricane/pdf/hurricane_supply_checklist.pdf
• Red Cross Supply Checklist: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit
• Digital Engagement Toolkit: www.ready.gov/ready2015
• CDC Checklist: http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/supplies.asp

Additional Resources:
(Includes Before, During, and After a Hurricane)

Before:

Apps:

• PBC DART: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pbc-dart/id526473189?mt=8
• Redcross Emergency: http://www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/emergency-app

Business:

• Business Planning: http://www.ready.gov/planning
• Protecting Businesses: http://www.fema.gov/media-library/resources-documents/collections/357

Evacuations:

• Evacuation Plan: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/plan
• Evacuation and Shelters: http://www.floridadisaster.org/disability/section1_2.html
• Evacuating Safely: http://www.ready.gov/evacuating-yourself-and-your-family
• Evacuation Zone and Route maps: http://www.floridadisaster.org/publicmapping/

Finances:

• Financial Preparedness: https://www.disastersafety.org/blog/top-10-ways-protect-home-wallet-hurricane-season/

Flooding:

• Flood Insurance: https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flooding_flood_risks/what_causes_flooding.jsp
• Preparing for Floods: http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/13261?id=3262
• https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/preparation_recovery/before_a_flood.jsp

Food & Water:

• Water: http://www.ready.gov/water
• Food: http://www.ready.gov/food

Homes:

• Securing Your Home: http://www.floridadisaster.org/securehome.htm
• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes: www.flash.org

Pets:

• http://www.ready.gov/caring-animals
• http://www.disastersrus.org/MyDisasters/pets/DIST_DisasterPetBrochure.pdf
• Horses: http://www.disastersrus.org/MyDisasters/pets/DIST_DisasterHorseBrochure.pdf

Pre-Season:

• Debris Cleaning Tips Before Storm (Pages 1-2): http://www.swa.org/DocumentCenter/View/103

Tips & Information:

• PBC Hurricane Preparedness: http://www.pbcgov.com/dem/knowurzone/
• Tips and Info: http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
• Tips for people with Disabilities: http://www.ready.gov/individuals-access-functional-needs
• General Information: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/

Weather & Forecasts:

• 2015 Hurricane Forecast: http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-season-forecast-atlantic-2015-noaa-weather-channel-csu
• Severe Weather info(Supply Checklist on page 13): http://www.floridadisaster.org/swaw/2015/documents/2015%20Guide.pdf
• Latest Watches and Warnings – National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• Pre Hurricane Season: http://www.swa.org/153/Before-During-and-After-the-Storm

During:

Food and Water:

• Food and Water During Emergencies: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf
• Keeping Food Safe: http://www.ready.gov/food

Tips & Info:

• Before, During, and After Advice: http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/253331ac179d32652a4d0cbf7fb3e6eb/FEMA_FS_hurricanes_508_8-15-13.pdf

Utilities:

• Turning off Utilities: http://www.ready.gov/utility-shut-safety

After:

Assistance:

• Applying for Assistance: http://www.fema.gov/apply-assistance

Clean up:

• Where to take Debris: http://www.swa.org/DocumentCenter/View/1182
• Debris Cleaning Tips(Pgs 3- 12): http://www.swa.org/DocumentCenter/View/103

Homes:

• Search for Rental Houses: http://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm

Search & Rescue:

• Informing Family and Friends of Your Safety: https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php

Filed under: Blog, Exclusive Buyer Agent, Florida Real Estate, Home Buyer Advice, Home Buyers, Home Maintenance, Homebuyer Advice, Real Estate by Kim Bregman
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Buying a fixer upper  home comes with some unique advantages. For one, the price point for a fixer upper home  will be lower than a comparable home that is in excellent shape. By paying less for a fixer upper home, you can have more of an opportunity to customize and tailor it to fit your unique taste and personality. Indeed, many fixer upper homes are great investments for people willing to put in the time and effort to transform a house into a home. On the flip side, some fixer upper homes might turn out to be more of a cash pit than a profitable purchase. Before you start your search for a fixer upper property, here are a few questions to ask to ensure that you will get the right fixer upper home for your budget, abilities, and future goals.

Has a professional home inspector done a report on the house? 

It is essential that you use an Exclusive Buyer Agent that is working for you and not for themselves or the Sellers. They will be able to identify issues with the area and have resources for buyer oriented inspectors who will give a hard look at the property.

You should be prepared to pay for several inspections and secure cost estimates before you make a final decision on purchasing a fixer upper home.

Some problems in a fixer upper homes are obvious, while others might be hidden beneath the floorboards, walls, or surfaces. Having a professional home inspector check out the house before you buy will give you a realistic idea of what kind of condition the home is in and what repairs it needs.

How many repairs can you do on your own?

Minor aesthetic repairs, such as removing popcorn ceilings, painting the walls, or adding a backsplash to the kitchen can often be done on your own. Expensive repair bills come when there is damage to the structural integrity of the home. These types of repairs will likely require outside help to fix. For example, if the foundation of the home is warped or severely cracked, or if there is extensive termite damage, or the roof of the house needs to be replaced, you must hire an outside contractor. Without pricing these major repairs before buying the home, you could have a higher repair bill than you anticipate.

How much will each repair cost? 

Once you have your list of repairs, it’s time to dig in and start researching the price of each item to fix. For aesthetic repairs, visit your local home improvement store and speak with a sales associate about how much the supplies will cost. For any repair that requires an outside contractor, request bids from local shops. You want to get a realistic idea of what your home repairs will cost to make sure that you will not go over your budget.

Add 20% to your budget for all the unexpected costs that will come with any renovation project.

What expenses am I not considering?

You should take into consideration whether you will be planning to live on or off premises. It’s more economical to live on premises, but for those homes undergoing extensive remodels, this may be unpleasant or not even an option. But, if you do choose to live on the premises you will have to be prepared to live with dust – a lot of dust. Your home will be a construction zone for well up to a year or beyond.

If you plan on doing extensive renovations, then living in the home is not an option. You need to consider the costs of storing your belonging, cost of alternative housing, carrying the property while under renovation, etc.

How much value can you add to the home?

Ultimately, the goal of buying a fixer upper is to create a cozy place to live and to ensure that you will make a financially sound investment. If you find a fixer upper that you are interested in, talk to a reliable real estate agent or home appraiser about each major repair you’re planning to make so you can get a reasonable estimate of how much value you can actually add to the home. You can also take a look at other homes in the area that do not need repair to see what they’re selling for.

Fixer upper homes require you to do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line, and revamping a home can be an exciting experience under the right circumstances. With these tips, you can start your search for a home

Filed under: Blog, Exclusive Buyer Agent, First Time Homebuyers, Home Buyer Advice, Home Buyers, Home Maintenance, Real Estate by Kim Bregman
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If you’ve been thinking about replacing your water heater soon, you will want to read up on how the new water heater efficiency standards, effective April 16, 2015, will affect your options.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently mandated sweeping changes in the energy efficiency standards of this water-heating appliance. The new standards call for much higher Energy Factor (EF) ratings on all water heaters manufactured with larger than 55 gallons in capacity.

New water heater regulations mean huge changes in how larger capacity water heaters are manufactured, distributed and installed.

While the new mandates will add up to long term energy savings for all, the initial cost of replacing your old water heater may quickly become significantly more expensive.

For example, the average cost of conventional minimum-efficiency 60-gallon gas and electric water heaters is approximately $675 to $1,500 a unit. While in comparison, the new units manufactured after April 16 will cost anywhere from $1,200 to $2,450 each.

That’s not all. Water heaters manufactured after the new energy efficiency standards go live will require a different heat-pump design and will take up more space than your model now.

This means that if your current water heater is located in close quarters, like a 3 foot x 3 foot water closet or attic, you may be looking at a small home remodel to accommodate the larger units as well.

Water heaters contribute to a significant part of your monthly electric or gas bill. When replacing a water heater you should consider a tankless unit. These space saving units heat water on demand, only when you need it. The tankless technology offers endless hot water – you’ll never take a cold shower again! Because the water is only heated when it is being used, tankless water heaters are a great energy efficient solution for heating the water in your home. You’ll enjoy energy savings, better performance, extended life, fresh water, space savings and more capacity than traditional “tanked” water heaters.

If you are planning on purchasing a home or investment property that will need a new hot water heater, you should figure in these higher cost estimates in addition to the cost of retrofitting the space, if needed.

Filed under: Blog, Exclusive Buyer Agent, First Time Homebuyers, Home Buyer Advice, Home Buyers, Home Maintenance, Real Estate, Uncategorized by Kim Bregman
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