Georgia Home Insurance

What You Need to Know When Buying Home Insurance in Georgia

You might think of peanut farming because that was the business of Georgia's own former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, but those versed in agriculture think of peaches. The ninth most populous state is nicknamed the Peach State because its growers sell the sweetest varieties of this fruit. The weather loved by farmers in the southeast doesn't always receive the same welcome from everyone else in the area, but that just makes everyone all the more appreciative of home insurance to cover the risk of damage from the elements.

Prepare for Rain

Rain can become too much of a good thing when it accumulates very quickly. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency is a big advocate of flood preparation, so that residents don't get caught off guard in the event that waters rise too quickly. Flood insurance is a key part of this preparation, but not the only thing you can do to prepare your home and loved ones. And the better prepared you are, the greater the likelihood that you will get a cheaper price on flood insurance.

Get Smart About Floods

Make a point of educating yourself, your family and guests to your home about flood risks and disaster preparedness in general. Here are some things you could do along those lines:

Contact the floodplain management office in your county to learn about the relative risk of flooding in your neighborhood, and seek advice on how to prepare your home and family.
Use flood risk information to help you create a flood evacuation plan that you can share with your family and friends. Rehearse in regular drills if possible.
Keep the gas tank of your car full in the event that you need to evacuate quickly. If you don't have a car, plan alternate methods for evacuation.
Compile a kit full of essential supplies you'd need to take with you in the event of an evacuation.
Plan how your family could evacuate the premises quickly, and where you might go the quickest if you have to leave.
If you're in an area that's highly susceptible to flooding, try keep your most valuable items on the highest floors of your home.
If local officials order an evacuation, follow that instruction immediately. Don't return home until the authorities say it's safe to do so.

Keep Watch

Paying attention to local weather conditions will help you protect your home and family while mitigating the same risks that form the basis of pricing Georgia home insurance. Regularly tune in to local news radio, television or websites that provide coverage of the weather. Media outlets typically convey warnings by officials when conditions become dangerous. And any kind of extreme condition should become a reason for you to remain alert for scenarios that might damage your property.

If it rains heavily for a few hours in a row, that's a sign to be on the watch for possible flooding, especially if you live near a body of water. Georgia has:

70,150 miles of streams and rivers
100 miles of Atlantic coastline
Nine man-made lakes that act as reservoirs

These waters are fine for swimming during sunny weather, but not when it rains. Persistent downpours can move water inland from streams, rivers, lakes and coastlines. Don't wait for waters to rise more than a couple of inches before moving to higher ground.

Upgrade Your Home

Higher ground will help your home withstand flood risk and get you cheaper pricing on flooding insurance. That makes it worthwhile to invest in infrastructure that would elevate your dwelling, if that's at all possible. Upgrading gutters and drains are similarly beneficial and equally appreciated by home insurers. Obtain written documentation of flood resisting features from the original architect of your home, if possible, and take photos of these structures to supply to insurers when applying for insurance.

Mobile Homes

Of course, all of these considerations become extremely challenging if your dwelling is a mobile home, which practically has its own category of insurance. While these dwellings are popular in warm climates like that of Georgia, insurers have their own opinions about whether to insure such structures.

Think Ahead

Regardless of what type of dwelling you reside in, insuring a home in Georgia becomes a much more pleasurable and rewarding experience if you take steps to prepare for potential risks from the elements.