Buying First House in Florida: Mistakes, What I Wish I Did Differently

• After years of living in Miami, I bought a house in Florida. I realized there’s a lot I don’t know.
• I didn’t realize my home-insurance options would be somewhat limited in Florida.
• Shortly into homeownership, pest control and tree removal became unexpected expenses.

Recently, I made one of the biggest personal and financial decisions of my life: buying a house in Florida.

I’m a millennial from West Virginia, and I’d been living in Miami for seven years. I was excited to officially put down roots in the area I’d fallen in love with.

I felt pretty prepared to purchase my property since my parents owned our house when I was a teenager, and I grew up hearing about the general costs, burdens, and benefits that come with being a homeowner.

However, I quickly discovered just how much I really didn’t know. Here are five things I wish I’d done before buying my house in Florida.

I wish I’d researched how few companies insure homes in Florida

I’ve lived in Florida for the better part of a decade, so I’ve seen how volatile the weather can be.

However, I never thought that would (or even could) stop well-known insurance companies from offering new policies to Florida homeowners.

Because of my state, big names like Progressive and Costco Insurance Agency weren’t even options when I was looking to insure my property.

I ended up getting an incredible insurance deal from a smaller company that still operates in South Florida. Still, I wish I’d known how few options I’d really have when it came to protecting my property.

I should’ve checked how much my new ZIP code would impact my car-insurance rate

I didn’t research my ZIP code as well as I should have when I bought my house.

After all, I had a lot of other things to worry about, and I’d lived in different parts of Miami-Dade County before. However, this area alone has 34 incorporated municipalities and various unincorporated neighborhoods.

Different parts of Dade have their own ZIP codes, and car-insurance premiums can vary based on which you live in. This isn’t only the case in Florida, either.

I should’ve taken more time to research exactly how my new ZIP code would impact my car insurance — especially because I’ll be living here for a while.

I wish I’d researched how expensive tree removal can be before buying the property

Once I’d moved in, some tree branches started falling from a massive banyan in my yard — and I started researching how much it would cost to remove the tree.

The best quote I got was $12,000 due to the scope of the project.

Had I also known how expensive tree removal can be in South Florida (and in general), I may have paid extra to have the trees examined before closing or even considered a different property.

It would’ve been helpful to visit my new neighborhood after a rainstorm to see how much it floods

There’s really no way to totally avoid minor flooding in South Florida.

A lot of places flood Miami — even during day-to-day rain showers. It doesn’t matter if you’re on Miami Beach or a few miles inland.

However, it would’ve been nice to know how it would impact me on a regular basis before I bought my home.

Although the street I live on doesn’t flood too much, the main streets I use to get to my house do. I wish I’d thought to come by after a storm one day to see where flooding impacts my neighborhood the most.

I wish I’d known more about pest control before purchasing a home here

Unfortunately, Florida’s climate is a favorable one for a lot of creatures I don’t want in my home.

When I was a renter, my landlords were in charge of pest control — and, thankfully, they were quick to resolve any insect-related issues at the properties where I used to live.

Because it had never been my responsibility before, I didn’t know how to keep my property free of termites, palmetto bugs, snakes, and iguanas.

This was something I had to learn very quickly from friends who have lived in Florida all their lives.

Pest-control services are an expense I was not expecting at first, but I’m very grateful the pros have taught me how to protect my home before any full-blown infestations could begin.