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I had no idea that surveyors even checked to see if property was in a flood zone.
If I was buying a property/home and my surveyor did not confirm that they would check the flood plain I would not hire them. You should definitely check yourself and should expect your realtor to do so as well. This type of information is public record, easily obtained at no charge, and should be expected to be provided.
Right now I'm doing a lot of house hunting online because mostly I'm checking out areas and not ready to buy a house. I was upfront with the online agent who's been incredibly helpful btw.. and told him we might not be purchasing until next year because I have to sell first and he sent me the sweetest response telling me he'd gladly work with us however long it took. I like this agent because he said that. He's not pressuring me like some of the others I dealt with for a short time. I realize this agent is taking time out of his schedule to work with someone knowing there's no guarantee that it will pay off for him so I'd like to stick with him.
At this point I don't expect much from him other than to send me photos of homes in the area's and with the criteria I chose and some area's that he suggested also as we're mostly looking at area and not really for any particular house yet.
My question is.. Some of the homes I'm looking at are near the water. When we do start the house hunting process can I expect him to check to see if they need flood insurance or are in flood zones before we see them or is that my responsibility?
Thanks in advance!
Yes, and you should go on and double check online.
I am about a mile from a large 2 mile wide river near the gulf in Florida and i"m not in a flood zone. I made sure to check before I bought. Another home that I was going to look at was in the flood zone. I did look at it and it was not something I liked anyway.
I would hope that the bank and the insurance company would have let me also know if I was in a flood zone. I'm sure the insurance company would have caught it when I asked for an initial quote.
[quote=LifeIsGood01;45751679]Yes, and you should go on and double check online.
I am about a mile from a large 2 mile wide river near the gulf in Florida and i"m not in a flood zone. I made sure to check before I bought. Another home that I was going to look at was in the flood zone. I did look at it and it was not something I liked anyway.
I would hope that the bank and the insurance company would have let me also know if I was in a flood zone. I'm sure the insurance company would have caught it when I asked for an initial quote.[/QUOTE]
I know the bank would insist on flood insurance if the home was in a flood zone but ours would be a cash transactions so no bank would be involved.
I live less than a mile from the beach now and I'm not in a flood zone either.
Checking with the insurance company when I get an estimate is a good idea though and that wouldn't involve me paying for a service when I may not even buy the house.
So, I'll go by the agents suggestions while looking... If I like a house and it meets my criteria I'll check the fema map, call for an insurance quote and see what they say about flood elevation, and then IF all checks out and we decide we really want to buy then I'll have the survey/flood elevation done..
I feel better now. Great suggestions from everyone and I really appreciate it.
Right now I'm doing a lot of house hunting online because mostly I'm checking out areas and not ready to buy a house. I was upfront with the online agent who's been incredibly helpful btw.. and told him we might not be purchasing until next year because I have to sell first and he sent me the sweetest response telling me he'd gladly work with us however long it took. I like this agent because he said that. He's not pressuring me like some of the others I dealt with for a short time. I realize this agent is taking time out of his schedule to work with someone knowing there's no guarantee that it will pay off for him so I'd like to stick with him.
At this point I don't expect much from him other than to send me photos of homes in the area's and with the criteria I chose and some area's that he suggested also as we're mostly looking at area and not really for any particular house yet.
My question is.. Some of the homes I'm looking at are near the water. When we do start the house hunting process can I expect him to check to see if they need flood insurance or are in flood zones before we see them or is that my responsibility?
Thanks in advance!
An agent can check for Flood Zone and give you an informed opinion on whether or not flood insurance is required, but there will be all sorts of caveats that they are not insurance specialists and that you should confirm with an insurance specialist. I check flood insurance all the time, but I make it clear that insurance is NOT my area of expertise. I can't determine price of the policy, just whether it's in or very close to a designated flood zone
Your insurance agent can also help. It might pay to have flood insurance even if you are not in a flood zone.
Flood insurance can be hundreds of dollars a month more added to your already existing mortgage and regular home insurance. I don't know how that could pay unless you buy a home that floods every few years.
If you're thinking of the Georgia, Florida or Carolinas coast, I suspect there's going to be an adjustment in flood insurance pricing soon . . .
No, no, noooo... We're looking in New Jersey which was hit hard by Sandy so I know they changed the flood zones. More importantly though. .I don't want to get washed away during a storm. I'm allergic to drowning.
Flood insurance can be hundreds of dollars a month more added to your already existing mortgage and regular home insurance. I don't know how that could pay unless you buy a home that floods every few years.
Not only the price but since where i live now was hit hard by Sandy those people that were paying astronomical amounts for flood insurance found out the hard way that it didn't cover flooding caused by tidal surge. We still have homes here that are destroyed while these people fight their way through the courts to get the insurance money.
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