From alligators to maxed-out thermostats, Florida has its fair share of oddities. The state and its localized communities offer a uniquely relaxing retreat from the grind of life that calling anywhere else home seems to invite in. The lifestyle of Florida, no matter where you settle in the state, is peaceful and easy. Still, there are certainly some things that you’ll want to know before picking up your feet and kicking back.
Understand your insurance needs.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of reasons why you should move to Florida, with the water being just one of them. The Sunshine State sees more beach days per year than you can count, but along with the great weather and fantastic, picturesque beaches to enjoy comes to the burden of hurricane season.
Extreme weather has become the norm all across the giant peninsula that makes up the state. From the Florida Keys and South Florida, all the way up through Orlando to the Big Bend and Panhandle regions, storms are just a part of life. Fortunately, homes in the Sunshine State are built to withstand hurricanes and rainy season to the best of human construction’s abilities. However, this doesn’t mean destruction can be totally avoided. As a homeowner new to the novel threats faced in Florida during hurricane season and beyond, it’s best to evaluate your homeowner’s insurance and choose a policy that gives you and your family great coverage in the event of damage to your property and the belongings inside.
Maintain the exterior of your home to exacting standards.
Keeping up with housework around the exterior of your home is the best way to ensure the safety of your family inside it. Because of Florida’s wild weather, routine maintenance on the roof and in the yard is crucial to running a tight ship that holds up to the demands of the weather systems while looking great too.
Because there is no state income tax for Floridians, you can utilize these savings every year to continue to make improvements to the structure of your home. Repainting every few years is often suggested by realtors (the timing depends on the material that protects your home’s façade), as well as keeping up with window and roof replacements as recommended. These updates aren’t necessary often, but as the weather systems continue to take their toll on your windows, doors, and shingles, you must keep an eye on the deterioration in order to replace these weak points before the next season comes around to threaten your home again.
Keep your air conditioning in great working order.
Your AC unit is the next consideration that should remain high on your list. Keeping up with air conditioning maintenance and heat pump problems is an essential task for Floridians. Homes here are built with central heating and cooling systems, meaning the outdoor unit that sits next to your home powers the thermostat throughout the year. It’s used to pump hot air into the home during the surprisingly chilly winter months and to cool down your family during the summer.
A Florida summer—or even summer day—without the cooling power of your air conditioner will quickly become unbearably hot, and there simply is no reprieve from the roasting temperature since there is little residual wind that flows across the generally flat state. Pump failure is a common problem, and a trained air conditioning technician can solve the outage quickly and reliably. It’s a good idea to keep the number for an HVAC system technician handy because these AC units inevitably break leading up to the days you need them the most.
Moving to Florida provides a family with fantastic relaxation opportunities, but these were some things you should keep in mind to make the most of your new home.
