Thursday, January 14, 2021 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
Frozen may work for Queen Elsa in the Pixar movie, but for us mere mortals, ice can register anywhere from frustrating to down right deadly on our "What I Hate About Winter" list. Unless you are strapping on skates right now, you might want to note here some ways to avoid frozen water problems.
ROOF ICE DAMS
Go look at your roof. If there's no snow on the shingles but snow on the overhangs, you're a candidate for ice dams. When a home has a poorly insulated roof, it will melt the snow on it. The resulting water hits cold overhanging gutters and freezes if it's below freezing outside (32 degrees F, 0 degrees C). The result is an ice dam, which backs up water onto and under the shingles. You'll notice it when it starts dripping in the house. Avoid ice dams by Insulating your roof adequately. It it has already snowed, remove snow from the roof as soon as it falls. Use a roof rake or hire a professiona ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, hudson valley home owners, diy projects, flooding, winter storm warning
Monday, November 30, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
Sandy's Aftermath: The view of the marina's parking lot across the street from our home in Piermont, NY.
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
As I watch today's storm crawl up the television weather map at the same rate it's crawling up my driveway, I am reminded of the flooding we experienced during Hurricane Sandy.
Having a flooded home is a terrible disaster no matter how you look at it. We know because our home on the Hudson River in Piermont, NY was flooded in Sandy, an experience that taught us some hard lessons on the subject of home flood insurance protection. In particular, we learned the definition of a basement and what it meant to our insurance coverage.
Our home was built into a slight hillside. The main level, which comprised our living room, a full bath, dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook were all slightly below grade. That is, about two feet below the level of the street in the front, and about four feet below . ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, hudson valley home owners, flooding
Thursday, September 17, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
The remnants of Hurricane Sally will be arriving overnight tonight to the Hudson Valley region. Fortunately for New York home owners, storms like Sally lose most of their punch traveling up the Eastern Seaboard and do little more than dampen the sidewalks. Needless to say, this has been an unusually active year for hurricanes, and for many homeowners, there is a risk they may lose lives, property, infrastructure and coastline sea walls. Strong hurricanes such as Sandy hitting the Hudson Valley, washed away possibly billions of dollars worth of homes, businesses, roads, and seawalls put in place to help protect coastlines.
For sellers whose properties are located in designated flood zones such as along the Hudson River, the risks presented by storms and flooding are a significant problem in selling. Many banks require buyers to purchase comprehensive flood insurance, which is not only a lot more costly, but also harder to find. Subsidies for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) . ...
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hudson valley real estate, hudson valley property, hudson valley home, 'urb to 'burb, selling your home, hudson valley events, hurricane, flooding
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 / by Vanessa Saunders
By Vanessa Saunders, MBA, MIMC , Broker Owner, Global Property Systems Real Estate.
Seeing the storm warnings on the news brings back memories of losing our home to Hurricane Sandy's coastal flooding. The hurricane caused enormous damage, but at least in our area, no deaths. Nationwide, flooding causes more deaths annually than do hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning. Flash floods are very dangerous and can strike with little to no warning.
Here are things to do and not to do as Tropical Storm Isaias approaches.
TO DO.
Make a plan.
Make an emergency plan before it hits, especially if you are located in a coastal area or flood plain. Plans should include an escape route via roads on high ground, and pack essential items like batteries, cell phones (fully charged and with extra batteries), and food.
Know when to go.
Evacuation is not always a good idea. Sometimes it's more dangerous to go through flooded areas than it is to stay where you are. Instead, find a safe, high point, an! ...
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hudson valley real estate, 'urb to 'burb, pandemic, health crisis, hurricane, flooding
