4 Tips To Buy A Home In A Hurricane-Prone Area With Confidence

Posted on: 7 December 2021

While shopping for a home to buy with your family, you may feel determined to get a place that makes them feel safe and secure. Planning to buy and live in a hurricane-prone area means that you must face the reality of potential hurricanes coming through the area. This knowledge is important because you can follow tips on buying a house with complete confidence.

Hurricane Windows

One of the best ways to protect your family against a hurricane is through hurricane windows. These windows are designed to withstand flying debris and powerful winds. Ideally, you want to get the specific details regarding a home's windows to learn more about your protection.

After finding out what category of a hurricane the windows can withstand, you may want to learn about past hurricanes in the area. While history is not a precise indicator for the future, you can use it to determine whether the window strength in a home is enough for your family.

Graded Property

As time passes, home building rules and regulations often improve to guarantee better protection for residents. A great example is home construction in hurricane-prone areas having to build on graded properties where the house is at the top of an incline. This particular setup provides excellent protection from flooding during hurricanes and heavy rainfall.

Being on an incline is advantageous because you will reduce or eliminate the chance for water to build up around the foundation.

Flood Risk

While looking at online listings, you may find that some websites include the flood risk for all properties. Sometimes you will find a scale ranging from 1 to 10 that determines how at-risk a property is for storm surge and flooding. Fortunately, you can still buy a home in a hurricane-prone area and get a low flood risk by prioritizing the listings on the lower end of the scale.

Gutter Systems

While being on a graded property can help protect your home and family, you also want to demand a gutter system with your property purchase. This feature on its own will provide excellent protection for the foundation because it will push rainwater away from the property.

A gutter system around the house will direct water off the roof into several downspouts. Most downspouts are already positioned in a way to reduce water buildup. You can also make plans to use the water or redirect it to an area with flood-tolerant plants.

Buying a home with this information will help you feel better about making an offer in a hurricane-prone area. Look for a professional home buyer for more information. 

Share