Hurricane Season begins June 1 in Florida. You might be thinking that weather hazards and title insurance are mutually exclusive . . . while actually what happens outside your home can have an impact on your ability to buy, sell or refinance real property.

If you are buying real estate during hurricane season, please be aware that many homeowners’ insurance companies cease writing policies when a storm has been named. You’ll have to contact your insurance company for specific information but it’s good to be aware that lenders require homeowner’s insurance in order to fund the transaction and if your company of choice has temporarily ceased writing policies, it could impact your closing date. Best thing to do is get your hazard insurance policy in place early!

Your Owner’s Title Policy is just as important as birth certificates and social security numbers – and vital to keep it in a safe place. After Hurricane Katrina, there were many challenges with proving homeownership because courthouses were flooded and valuable documentation lost. When you close with Southern Title, all of your paperwork related to the purchase of your home is scanned and stored online and available to you anytime you need it, including your survey, title policy, and closing statement,. That comes in real handy if you need to prove ownership, your home and paper documents are flooded, or you decide to sell or refinance and need a copy of your prior Owner’s Policy of Title Insurance to enjoy the savings of a reissue premium.

We also recommend that you store your documents in another, back up location, such as through DropBox, on an external jump drive, or in a safe deposit box. Please feel free to ask Southern Title for assistance in backing up your valuable homeownership documents!

Southern Title is unique among many title companies because we have multiple office locations, the ability to handle your real estate transaction from any of our offices, and a redundant back up center. If we lose electricity at one of our offices, another office is available to help you. We have a rock solid Business Continuity and Emergency Plan (BCEP) in place that encompasses associate and customer safety, document security, technology, public information, and operational issues that arise during hazardous weather, or other types of business disruptions. Our website, social media, phone greeting, on hold recording, and emails will alert you to any changes in our business processes that could impact you and your transaction. It’s all part of our desire to provide you with a smooth, simple real estate closing and exceed your expectations every time!

If you don’t have your own personal Hurricane Preparedness Plan in place. please check out this emergency preparedness website from the National Hurricane Center for assistance.

Be safe this hurricane season!

Hurricane Season begins June 1 in Florida. You might be thinking that weather hazards and title insurance are mutually exclusive . . . while actually what happens outside your home can have an impact on your ability to buy, sell or refinance real property.

If you are buying real estate during hurricane season, please be aware that many homeowners’ insurance companies cease writing policies when a storm has been named. You’ll have to contact your insurance company for specific information but it’s good to be aware that lenders require homeowner’s insurance in order to fund the transaction and if your company of choice has temporarily ceased writing policies, it could impact your closing date. Best thing to do is get your hazard insurance policy in place early!

Your Owner’s Title Policy is just as important as birth certificates and social security numbers – and vital to keep it in a safe place. After Hurricane Katrina, there were many challenges with proving homeownership because courthouses were flooded and valuable documentation lost. When you close with Southern Title, all of your paperwork related to the purchase of your home is scanned and stored online and available to you anytime you need it, including your survey, title policy, and closing statement,. That comes in real handy if you need to prove ownership, your home and paper documents are flooded, or you decide to sell or refinance and need a copy of your prior Owner’s Policy of Title Insurance to enjoy the savings of a reissue premium.

We also recommend that you store your documents in another, back up location, such as through DropBox, on an external jump drive, or in a safe deposit box. Please feel free to ask Southern Title for assistance in backing up your valuable homeownership documents!

Southern Title is unique among many title companies because we have multiple office locations, the ability to handle your real estate transaction from any of our offices, and a redundant back up center. If we lose electricity at one of our offices, another office is available to help you. We have a rock solid Business Continuity and Emergency Plan (BCEP) in place that encompasses associate and customer safety, document security, technology, public information, and operational issues that arise during hazardous weather, or other types of business disruptions. Our website, social media, phone greeting, on hold recording, and emails will alert you to any changes in our business processes that could impact you and your transaction. It’s all part of our desire to provide you with a smooth, simple real estate closing and exceed your expectations every time!

If you don’t have your own personal Hurricane Preparedness Plan in place. please check out this emergency preparedness website from the National Hurricane Center for assistance.

Be safe this hurricane season!