Should I walk from the house?

[rabbit33]

Originally Posted by K'ledgeBldr

That’s a horrible analogy for the most typical layperson!
Most people can’t see 20’ of “flat” driveway and know it runs uphill or down; or left or right!

Well, people who can't tell whether they're at the bottom or the top of a hill REALLY ought to make sure their house is on the top of the hill.

I was having a discussion along these lines with a colleague today who was trying to see how we could make it clear to a physics grad student whether a piece of equipment that'd been running for a while looked generally in good mechanical condition, or looked like there was severe wear and surface damage. At some point you have to assume a certain minimal amount of common sense, ability to look around you and assess a situation, and to ask questions if experience isn't present. We concluded that it would be essentially impossible to write detailed inspection instructions that would teach someone who'd never seen the inside of a piece of machinery how to determine whether things looked normal or abnormal, unless you could take them back to age 8 and start over.

This is that kind of situation. If you can't look at a building lot and make an assessment whether it looks low-lying and poorly drained, then you need to be doubly careful. Maybe just buy a condo on the third floor.

[Shallow Hal]

OP, trust your gut on this one. Usually, IMO, if you have to ask yourself if you should walk........you probably should. You know before you even move in that there could be a world of hurt waiting for you.

[JoeJunior]

Spent the weekend with the granddaughter down on the Gulf Coast. She bought a house 1 block from the gulf and her homeowner's insurance is about 1/3 that of her monthly payment.

It's tough living anywhere close to the water.

Ex roommate living in Ft. Myers got flooded in the hurricane. He got a house mover in to jack his house up 12 1/2 feet and build a story underneath it. Got so frustrated with contractors he got on an around the world cruise ship 1/5/2023--and has yet to return.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by JoeJunior

Spent the weekend with the granddaughter down on the Gulf Coast. She bought a house 1 block from the gulf and her homeowner's insurance is about 1/3 that of her monthly payment.

It's tough living anywhere close to the water.

Ex roommate living in Ft. Myers got flooded in the hurricane. He got a house mover in to jack his house up 12 1/2 feet and build a story underneath it. Got so frustrated with contractors he got on an around the world cruise ship 1/5/2023--and has yet to return.

If he had a FEMA grant/loan to do that he can't make that lower story into living area. Well he can, but his flood insurance won't cover any future damage like drywall. I hope he had his utilities (water heater, HVAC handler raised at the same time).

It sounds like his BFE was 10 ft. or so if he raised it to 12 1/2.

[JoeJunior]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

If he had a FEMA grant/loan to do that he can't make that lower story into living area. Well he can, but his flood insurance won't cover any future damage like drywall. I hope he had his utilities (water heater, HVAC handler raised at the same time).

It sounds like his BFE was 10 ft. or so if he raised it to 12 1/2.

I doubt there is any FEMA grant/loan on his house. He grew up in an antebellum mansion with a 300 acre manicured front yard with miles of white wood fences. They had a full time cook and a butler too.