With the arrival of a new year, most of us make some sort of resolutions. This is normal, for we have a blank slate upon which to write and hope is the currency we are dealing with. How wonderful to think that we can change bad habits, improve our lives, and begin fresh! As a Florida homeowner, you may be sitting down right now to make resolutions about the biggest investment in your life-your home. And you are very smart to do so. To help you with your list of homeowner resolutions, below are 5 suggestions of things you can do to improve your home and quality of life there in the new year.

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Florida Homeowners

1. Get Organized and Rid Your Home of Clutter–So many people set out on a personal journey with the new year to lose weight. Why not apply that sentiment to your Florida home? Lose the excess, get rid of things that no longer serve you, and get organized so that things in your home run smoothly. It is a proven fact that clutter and stress go hand-in-hand. Here is an excerpt from an article at Life Hacker, HOW CLUTTER AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN, “Scientists at Princeton University found that when they looked at people’s task performance in an organized versus disorganized environment that physical clutter in your surroundings competes for your attention, resulting in decreased performance and increased stress.”
2. Create a Home Maintenance Schedule–Go through and outside your home with the eagle-eye of a home inspector and make a list of regular maintenance tasks, such as having your roof inspected, cleaning gutters, checking your water heater, checking for water leaks, getting a termite inspection, changing filters, cleaning fireplaces, and the list goes on. Create a yearly calendar of when to handle these tasks. We think you will be surprised by how efficient this will make your home run and also save money in the long run.
3. Hire Your Personal Florida Public Adjuster–We are not just saying this so that you will call Noble Public Adjusting Group. No, we honestly feel that now is the time to network and bring on board a public adjuster in Florida so that when the next hurricane hits, or you have an insurance claim for your home, you are prepared. The Florida public adjuster will become your all-time advocate for you and your Florida home and most likely a friend. This is the person you call BEFORE that plumbing problem, fire, water damage, or other insurance-related mishaps. They deal with the insurance company for you to make sure you get the best settlement possible.
4. Create a Home Emergency Plan and Kit–For Florida homeowners, this is an especially important resolution. We never know when the next hurricane will hit, or even a tornado, or other unforeseen disasters, it is so smart to have an emergency plan and kit ready for you and your family. Not only will you want medical supplies, alternate air and heat sources, and non-perishable food. A true emergency plan will have you storing copies of your personal identification, credit card information, vehicle records and other important documents such as your home insurance policy in a fireproof safe or another place that’s easily accessible.
5. Save and/or Invest Money–Of course, this goes without saying, all homeowners should have a savings account, a nest egg in case something breaks or goes wrong and needs fixing. However, for many Florida homeowners saving money is hard. It is that way everywhere. But you would be surprised how fast money can accumulate if you create a savings plan and set aside a specific amount weekly or monthly and never touch that money. Or even better, invest it in low-risk stocks and bonds. This can give you and your family so much peace of mind, knowing you have financial backup.

Your home is your castle, the place where you spend the majority of your time and raise your family. Noble Public Adjusting Group has great respect for family and really feels that these 5 tips cover the very basic needs of all Florida homeowners, and those across the US. You may even want to print out this blog post and tape it somewhere so that you won’t procrastinate on your New Year’s Resolutions for your home.

As an added bonus, here is the link to a giveaway of $5000 called New Year, New You to travel wherever you want on Orgain. (We have no affiliation with this company, we just get emails sometimes with giveaways and wanted to share.) The contest is totally free to enter, you will just be added to their newsletter list.

Have a great weekend! We all deserve one after the hustle and bustle of the holidays.