Las Vegas Summers

When people think of the Las Vegas climate, they think “dry” and “desert.”  We love our weather, with the sun shining about 340 days of the year!  For those of us who moved to Las Vegas from the midwest or northeast, we are thrilled not to face the snow and cold!  Our summers, though, are hot.. we in Las Vegas call it a “dry heat!”  And summers in the desert also bring the “Monsoon” season, when we see rain storms from Mexico during July and August.

Do I Need Flood Insurance?

Many of my clients ask if Flood Insurance is necessary in Las Vegas and Nevada.  While it might not be necessary (meaning that the Las Vegas mortgage company does not require this insurance) it is still a very good idea.  I, personally, am not an advocate of buying unnecessary insurance of any type.  But, having lived in Las Vegas for 19 years and having lived in Tucson, Arizona for 10 years, I always suggest to my clients that Flood Insurance offers great piece of mind.  Las Vegas has added excellent flood control structures and drainage systems during the past 15 years, but those are no guarantee again water damage in a heavy rain.

Homeowners insurance policies have many exclusions; most homeowners never take the time, and cannot understand the insurance jargon to understand what the exclusions mean.  I have found that an insurance company can deny a water claim for any number of reasons and call it “flood damage.”  If your insurance company does deny a claim, it would take too much time, effort and probably a good attorney, to win the argument.  In the meantime, it is up to the homeowner to coordinate and pay for repairs, construction and temporary living accommodations.  So, it is better to be “safe than sorry.”

The National Flood Insurance Program advises that, although you might not live in a “flood plain,” you face the possibility of flood damage during heavy seasonal rains.  Flooding can be caused by rains, drainage systems and failed flood control structures.  The term “100 -year flood” does not mean that there is only a major flood every 100 years. Read the rest of this entry