Buying a house is one of the biggest decisions many people make in their lifetimes. With so much emotional energy, debt, and cold, hard cash on the line, no one wants to make a mistake. Luckily, by taking time to make a solid plan about specific needs and priorities before buying, home buyers can substantially reduce the chances of making a mistake. Here are five of the most important factors to consider before signing on the line.

It hardly bears saying that buyers shouldn’t take the home-buying process lightly. Not only is it a lot of money to drop, but they’ll need to live and be happy in that home for the next several years at a minimum in order to make it a worthy expenditure. The best way to choose correctly is to balance priorities, such as safety, area home values, family accessibility, and overall fun. We’ve broken down these categories below with a few suggestions in each to hopefully make buying a house easier and more fun.

Buying a house is an exciting and stressful life event. New buyers have a lot to consider. Just getting a loan can take weeks. But mortgage payments are not the only costs involved. The location and condition of a new home greatly impacts future costs. This is because of possible repair costs and the price of Florida homeowners insurance. Also, city and county tax rates are higher in some parts of the state than others.

Is buying a house stressful? EstatesDirect.com ran a poll to learn how people felt about it. This poll showed that buying a house gave folks more stress than having a baby. It also ranked more stressful than planning a wedding. This isn't that hard to understand. A lot of work goes into a home purchase. Getting a mortgage and planning a move can be stressful in themselves.  Home buyers also have to find good Florida homeowners insurance.

Everybody wants cheap premiums. Folks need good values. Many prices have risen lately. It's easy to see why families hope to stretch budgets. Looking for cheaper rates might help. But homes are an average family's most important asset. Owners are welcome to check prices. They should also compare value. The best insurers are around when you need them.

This video highlights just a few of the many Florida homeowners insurance risks that shoppers should keep an eye out for when buying a house.  Spotting and addressing these risks will not only protect your investment, but your family as well.

As a Florida homeowners insurance company, Southern Oak Insurance strives to do everything possible to help customers preserve the value of their property. For local homes, a large part of this effort is spent helping people keep their roofs in good shape. While typical homeowners insurance coverages include insurance for roofs, it is important to find a roofing contractor who offers a good value by providing quality work and a fair price.

In 2002, Florida created Citizens Property Insurance as a non-profit, government entity that would cover high-risk properties that private insurers declined. This property could be homes, businesses, and other types of structures that private insurers deemed too risky. While this coverage is mainly funded by premiums, during times of disasters, fund shortages might be funded by an assessment against most Florida property holders and not just property owners covered by the high-risk insurer. This keeps the cost of high-risk coverage lower, but it costs all Floridians money after a disaster.

In some parts of this state, homeowners insurance is both necessary and expensive. As a Florida homeowners insurance company, the people at Southern Oak would like to let local homeowners know about some practical ways to protect homes and qualify for homeowners insurance credits or discounts. In some cases, these discounts could even be large enough to help pay for improvements over time, and they will certainly be worthwhile if they help prevent damage and high insurance claims.

Understanding homeowners insurance in this state takes some effort, and that's why independent insurance agents work to serve their clients by answering questions and providing competitive home insurance quotes. But homeowners need to take responsibility for their choices, and that is why we suggest these seven questions to ask about Florida homeowners insurance.