An investment in real estate will most likely benefit the buyer from long-term inflation. If you have a home you may have profited simply by holding onto it and keeping it in good condition over the years. You must continue to protect that profit, however. Should you intend to unload the property – the old homestead one of these days, don’t let it fall into disrepair and run down condition for a real estate broker to market.
What your neighbors think of your lawn is what your prospective buyer will think of it. When selling a house you must think like a buyer – think like a retailer where everything is neat, tidy and in good working order. Let your house deteriorate a five thousand dollars worth and you’ll find yourself lowering your sale price by 2 to 3 times that much. (If on the other hand you keep the house right up to snuff with all the latest improvements and decorations, you can get much more than even the appraiser will give for it!)
One often overlooked factor, in spite of the limitations above on insurance buying, is the need for ENOUGH INSURANCE to cover the newly inflated value of your property. Don’t think for a moment that your home cannot be destroyed by an accident or natural disaster – I went through Hurricane Andrew! It certainly can. Multiplicity of high-voltage electric appliances in the modern home increases the danger of high-temperature fire. Increasing use of natural gas as heating fuel provides further hazard. Combination’s of perils occur without realization.
Other new hazards: constant presence of military and commercial planes overhead, nearby military installations, high-voltage TV sets, lighting strikes, new hurricane patterns, new flood areas, tornadoes and a variety of other unexpected events.
Yes, it is entirely possible for you to lose your home and all its furnishings – and insurance to the extent of its total market value is certainly a wise precaution.Remember insurance transfers the financial risk to another party. If you have kept a constant amount of insurance through the years it is likely to be far below the indicated amount today. If the value of the house itself has increased it is also likely that other increases have occurred.
For example, have you done some remodeling through the years? Added a room? You say you added that to the insurance when you did the building? In what amount? Did you add what the room cost you at the time? But it might cost twice as much to replace today! Have you replaced the furnishings in the house? Added to their total value? At today’s prices? (Try a little shopping for the fun of it. Go out and try to buy that living room couch. Will you be surprised!) If you have done nothing about your home insurance in ten years or more, you are really dreadfully under-insured and should do something about it right away.
Review the insurance coverage on your home today, look for ways to improve the coverage and reduce your monthly cost. Always took to have the full replacement cost of the property insured, so when the value goes up – you will be covered.
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