There are several joys that one can get from living along the coast. The calming breeze and the beauty of the ocean can often make your day-to-day life feel like a never-ending vacation. Unfortunately, coastal life also comes with certain risks that you must consider before considering moving there.
Top Risks of Coastal Living
Wind
While any home along the country is susceptible to damage from wind, coastal houses are far more vulnerable. In mere moments, winds can rip apart windows, tear out a roof, and leave you with a fat landscaping bill. Additionally, coastal residences are far more likely to receive damage during hurricane season, making it risky to settle in such areas.
Fortunately, most states, including Florida, allow you to have “wind and hail” insurance. This plan means that your insurance company should be able to cover most of the costs to fix your home if wind or hail ever damages it.
Water Damage
The possibility of water-related issues such as floods and surges is tremendously high when living along the coast. Floods can quickly submerge homes in water, leading to an immense loss of personal and sentimental materials. Additionally, storm surges also tend to batter houses during hurricane season. In such cases, a quick rise in sea level can leave entire homes covered in water, leading to unrepairable damage.
Getting insurance for water damage is crucial to living along the coast. Remember, just one inch of flooding can lead to up to $25,000 in damage to your home. However, with high-quality coverage, you can be confident your insurer will cover most of the costs.
Fire
The damage from a fire will affect any house. The flames can raze down an entire home in an instant, leading to a tremendous loss. Taking steps to protect yourself from this risk is crucial to keeping your home free from fires. To do this, we suggest that you remain vigilant and regularly check your electrical appliances. We also recommend choosing a homeowners insurance policy with coverage for accidental fire damage.
Theft
Due to the nature of coastal homes and the high amount of vacationers moving in and out of the city every few months, the risk of theft can often feel sky-high. It is not uncommon to read news of thieves taking off with cars and expensive jewels. Such theft can often feel calamitous and demoralizing, especially if the items were of sentimental value.
To help avoid such issues, we always advise you choose homeowners insurance with personal property and dwelling coverage. These plans can help protect you against theft and damage to your home during a break-in.
Auto Collision
As coastal areas are more likely to see vacationers and tourists who do not regularly drive on these roads, the odds of auto collisions tend to be more prominent. This high possibility of crashes is one of the main reasons we always recommend that you prepare for car damage while living along the coast. With collision coverage, your insurer should be able to help in paying for any accidental damage, including collisions against other vehicles and objects.
Boats
If you choose to live along the coast, then there is a possibility that you may own a boat to enjoy the waters around you. If you choose to do so, protecting your vessel will be crucial. Depending on your plan, your insurer will be able to cover the risks from damage to your boat’s hull, sails, sinks, equipment, etc.
Liability
Living along the coast also comes with liability issues that you must be familiar with. Guests to your home might pose a premises liability risk. Additionally, your pets might not like the frequent comings and goings of your beach lifestyle, which may present you with additional liability risk. Add on top of that the increase in auto liability (mentioned above) and boat liability; it’s easy to see that an excess liability policy will be a great piece of your personal asset protection plan for your beach lifestyle.
Yes, coastal living does come with its own set of risks, but the tradeoff for beach living is genuinely worth it!!