OUR BLOG

Just got a Drone? Will Your Homeowners Insurance Be Enough?


If you had a drone under the Christmas tree, you were not alone, as these unmanned aircraft are a popular gift. But if you have been winging around without a care in the world, then we need to bring you down to Earth. There is one hard and fast fact that you need to be […]

Florida Buyer Beware New Home Construction Defects


Anyone who remembers the housing boom that occurred prior to 2008 remembers that houses went up very quickly. It was impressive then to see the speed at which a vacant lot could be turned in to a housing development. Ten years down the road, what is less impressive is the track record of national homebuilders […]

Pokémon Go Causing New Insurance Issues


People driving and playing Pokémon Go at the same time may be subject to distracted driving laws that prohibit texting or talking on a device while operating a motor vehicle

Buyer Beware: 5 Things Sellers Try to Hide from Home Buyers


You’d be amazed at some of the things that sellers try to hide from buyers. Listening to a crowd of real estate agents gossiping over brunch is replete with tales to curl or straighten your hair. Some of the items can be less serious than others, such as claiming current-model year appliances in the kitchen […]

5 Obstacles to Homebuying for Millennials


The kvetching about Millennials continues, but not to worry – the Digitals are next, and GenX is holding the door for you. Your Boomer Uncle (Old Economy) Steve can still hold forth about the younger generations at Thanksgiving while your GenX mom rolls her eyes and your younger Digital cousins eye the exits. As successive […]

Buyer and Sellers Beware: Permits are Important!


Let’s start off with the law as it stands with regard to permits: 1 Required. Any owner, or contractor who desires to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, […]

Buyer Beware: Does Your House Have a History?


You might not be aware of it, but you may be buying a house with a history. There are certain conditions that a seller is required to disclose before selling a house, and waving these disclosures is a very good way to get some very unpleasant surprises. Insurance companies have access to two databases that […]

Tips for Buying a Second Home in Florida


A lot of people would love to have a second home. A favorite vacation spot seems like a natural place to invest your time and money. You’re not alone in wanting to buy a home in your favorite holiday spot, 1.13 million vacation homes were sold in 2014, and made up 21 percent of total […]

Assignment of Benefits in Florida is Out of Control


If the legislature in Tallahassee was a football player, they would be Jim Marshall – the defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings who in 1964 ran 66 yards the wrong way into his own end zone. The legislative session has adjourned with a complete failure to pass any solution to the out-of-control Assignment of Benefits […]

Buyer Beware Polybutylene Pipes and Plumbing


There are words that strike dread into the heart of a real estate agent and one of them is polybutylene.  Once touted as the longer lasting and cheaper alternative to copper pipes, this material was installed in millions of homes throughout the later decades of the 20th century. The problem was that these pipes shortly […]