HLS 501 DF5 Homeland Security

HLS 501 DF5
Name
Institution of affiliation
Date
HLS 501 DF5
Owning a home in the United States can be a rewarding experience for most individuals. It allows one to live freely without the burden that comes with paying rent or leasing a property. The process of buying a home, however, presents a myriad of challenges, especially for the first time buyer. Purchasing a house requires one to navigate a number of legal, environmental and financial aspects. The legal aspects require that an individual possesses legal standing to enter into contracts as well as an understanding of the regulatory framework for home owners CITATION Mat04 \l 1033 (Koklic & Vida, 2004). The financial aspect comes into play in providing financing for purchasing the house. The potential home owner must, therefore, be in a position to access credit from financial institutions. As well as have an understanding of mortgages and payment mechanisms. The environmental aspect, however, receives little or no concern from potential home owners CITATION Kat13 \l 1033 (Lane, 2013). The paper, therefore, seeks to bridge this knowledge gap. The paper will utilize South Florida as the location and will create a hypothetical situation where the paper will advise on potential house locations.
Discussion
South Florida is a hurricane prone region; it is, therefore, critical to find a house that can withstand hurricanes CITATION NAS16 \l 1033 (NASA, 2016). This would protect their investment from a natural disaster should it occur. As such, I would advise them to buy a house built after 1992. Before 1992, the South Florida building code did not require that building be built to withstand hurricane force winds or projectiles borne by the winds CITATION Ste07 \l 1033 (Leatherman, 2007). Thus, the integrity of these buildings cannot be guaranteed. Houses built after Hurricane Andrew were subjected to more rigid requirements that would ensure their survival. These include cinder block masonry construction. The use of reinforced concrete pillars supported with steel pylons. The use of missile impact resistant glass that ensures the glass does not break despite being hit by debris...