The Hidden Insurance Discount Sitting Above Your Ceiling

By Ted Todd Insurance | The Hidden Insurance Discount Sitting Above Your Ceiling

Did you know Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos once asked a prospective employee to estimate the number of panes of glass in the city of Seattle in a job interview? Now, similarly, I’d like to ask you how many nails are in your roof? If the question sends a chill down your spine, have no fear; I’m not Jeff Bezos.

However, while the answer to this won’t get you a swanky new job at Amazon, it could potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year if you own a home in the state of Florida.

Most older Florida homes built before 2012 were constructed with clips that do not have the correct number of nails in their roof per the statutory building code. Most insurance companies know this, but either don’t care to explain it to their customers or don’t mention it in order to charge you a higher premium.

Well, if, like me, you would start squirming at the idea of a question like how many nails are in your roof, how to verify that, and, for that matter, what is that creepy noise I always hear up there, and are those things related?

I’d suggest hiring a contractor and a wind mitigation expert for the first problem, and a priest and/or a paranormal activity expert for the other (I know a guy). All jokes aside, let me tell you how to nail down a lower insurance premium for your Florida home.

Step 1: Hire a licensed GC to nail the clips in. This small job takes a couple of days, typically costs only about $ 1,500 – $2,000, and can save you a ton of money on insurance premiums while also making your home safer.

Step 2: Hire a Wind Mitigation Expert to assess the work. He’ll prepare a full-length report for your insurance agency detailing how hurricane-ready your home is for the next big storm, which helps you secure that lower home insurance rate.

Step 3: Submit the report to your insurance agent and proceed to celebrate. Enjoy those savings on the house (literally).