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Essential Hurricane Isaias Guide – Open House’s & Business Profiles All this Week.

Blow to East! Blow to East!  Yes, the pandemic blues can get you down because what else could happen?  But don’t fear, as our hurricane guide will help navigate you through it.

First, we had a round table discussion with lawyer, Jim Cioffi.  Jim has been practicing law in Florida for 39 years.

Learn why Letter G (Force Majure Clause)  is the Letter of the day followed by M are must knows in real estate contracts. They govern everything from acts of God to moving dates, to re-inspections.

Brought to you by the letter “G”

1. FORCE MAJEURE: Buyer or Seller shall not be required to perform any obligation under this Contract or be liable to each other for damages so long as performance or non-performance of the obligation, or the availability of services, insurance or required approvals essential to Closing, is disrupted, delayed, caused or prevented by Force Majeure. “Force Majeure” means: hurricanes, floods, extreme weather, earthquakes, fire, or other acts of God, unusual transportation delays, or wars, insurrections, or acts of terrorism, which, by exercise of reasonable diligent effort, the non-performing party is unable in whole or in part to prevent or overcome. All time periods, including Closing Date, will be extended a reasonable time up to 7 days after the Force Majeure no longer prevents performance under this Contract, provided, however, if such Force Majeure continues to prevent performance under this Contract more than 30 days beyond Closing Date, then either party may terminate this Contract by delivering written notice to the other and the Deposit shall be refunded to Buyer, thereby releasing Buyer and Seller from all further obligations under this Contract.

1. RISK OF LOSS: If, after Effective Date, but before Closing, Property is damaged by fire or other casualty (“Casualty Loss”) and cost of restoration (which shall include cost of pruning or removing damaged trees) does not exceed 1.5% of Purchase Price, cost of restoration shall be an obligation of Seller and Closing shall proceed pursuant to terms of this Contract. If restoration is not completed as of Closing, a sum equal to 125% of estimated cost to complete restoration (not to exceed 1.5% of Purchase Price) will be escrowed at Closing. If actual cost of restoration exceeds escrowed amount, Seller shall pay such actual costs (but, not in excess of 1.5% of Purchase Price). Any unused portion of escrowed amount shall be returned to Seller. If cost of restoration exceeds 1.5% of Purchase Price, Buyer shall elect to either take Property “as is” together with the 1.5%, or receive a refund of the  Deposit thereby releasing Buyer and Seller from all further obligations under this Contract. Seller’s sole obligation with respect to tree damage by casualty or other natural occurrence shall be cost of pruning or removal.

See the AS-IS Contract here.

We also dive deeper into On or About versus On or Before and why you must know what the EFFECTIVE DATE means in Florida. Other topics are Johnson versus Davis and disclosures.

Then we sat down with Ross Komeriantz of Brightway Insurance.  We asked what essential hurricane insurance should be covered? Why flood insurance is so important to have?  Options to get flood insurance within 3 days if you can’t wait for 30 days?

What discounts are available if you have hurricane protection? Limitations for water damage that insurance companies are putting on and other areas you need to check on to make sure you are getting the best rate. Do you need sinkhole insurance in South Florida?

We are ready to help you right now!

Hopefully we will dodge a bullet. We have lived in the Palm Beach and Jupiter areas for decades. We know the next steps in rebuilding and we are here to help you now if needed.

If there is any damage, we will help you with the following…..

• Free home photography to begin your insurance claim process
• Free assistance locating qualified contractors and inspectors (see list below for starters)
• Free assistance locating immediate rentals or temporary housing

1. It is critical if you are out of town to have someone (we will do this for you) walk the property. You also need to have us or someone else walk the inside of the property. Document, Document, Document for insurance purposes. Take notes and take photos as insurance companies don’t want to pay.
2. I recommend, in any event, to do a home inspection as if you were purchasing the property now. Sideways rain and high winds can cause leaks that you would only see if you were crawling the attic, for example.
3. Use contractors that are FLORIDA licensed. There are a lot of scammers out there, including insurance adjustors (who work for insurance companies, not you) and people from other states that are not reputable. The list below has been compiled by inspectors I have known a long time and from our agents who have used them before.

Call me directly if you need anyone else or any advice or need representation if you have damages. I can be reached directly at Jeff@EchoFineProperties.com or at 561-346-8383.

If you want photos of your property or for us to walk it, please provide me with your name, cell phone number, email address, and street address.

For the complete list go to Our complete list of recommend vendors

Jeff Lichtenstein is owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, a luxury real estate brokerage selling real estate in Jupiter  and homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has 20 years of real estate experience, has closed over a 1,000 transactions, and manages over 50 agents in a non-traditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model.  Some publications he has been quoted in.

Feel free to ask him a question directly at jeff@EchoFineProperties.com.