The longest school holidays ever....

Happy New Year!  

Is it just me or does it feel like January has 4562 days and this is the longest school holidays ever? Well, you're not imagining it, your patience (and mine) is wearing thin with the kids because they actually are.

Technically, the exact number of days depends on where you live and whether your children attend a public or private school but the Summer break this year ranges from five to nine weeks! That's more than two months (deep breaths 🧘🏼)....and some schools don't go back until Thursday February 6th! 

For a year that's still so young, a lot has already happened.

2025 kicked off with some of the worst wildfires California has ever experienced, and on a much smaller scale back here in Sydney, crazy Summer storms have already done their fair share of damage.

In Mosman, uprooted trees crushed cars, power lines were downed and a landslide hit Taronga Zoo during the wild weather last weekend.

Natural disasters on any scale remind us how hugely important it is to not simply presume you know if and what you're covered for, but to pull out your insurance policies and check.

I know, I know, insurance talk makes my eyes glaze over too, but as local residents of the lower north shore we're literally surrounded on all sides by bushland, National Parks, waterways and beaches, and, we know all too well from experience disasters can (and do) strike anytime.

Worst still, back in LA, thousands of policies were cancelled in the months leading up to the wildfires. And right now, thousands of people are realising they've underinsured their properties and are facing a gap they hadn't budgeted for.

So this week, whether you're renting or own your own home (or investment property) I want you to find your policy and ask yourself these questions:

❶ What am I insured for? Check exactly what your insurance covers you for including fires, bushfires, flooding, accidental damage and more. It's important to understand what your policy covers. If you're unsure, check the PDS (product disclosure statement) or call your insurance company and ask them.

❷ How much am I insured for? Remember the cost to rebuild has exploded since the pandemic so, if you haven't reviewed your policy for a while, you may need to increase the value of the home and contents.

❸ How much does your policy cost? There's only a handful of businesses these days that can consistently put their prices up by whatever they like each year, one of them is private schools (🤣) and the other is insurance companies. So know what you're paying and then you can compare it if you need to get a better deal.

The team at OGP are all back on deck and we're super excited for the year ahead! We've got some exciting new listings on the go to kick start the official return to selling season, keep your eyes peeled for our weekly listings and open homes announcements that go out every Friday morning.

In the meantime Happy Australia Day, just a few more (long) days and the kids are back at school!

Anthony 🇦🇺🦘