Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I found a very nice house and already spent a lump sum on inspections and what I have found out is that the house might be in a flood zone.
Here's a summary.
1. The house is not in a flood zone according to FEMA. However, it appears that FEMA stopped their research so I can't treat that as evidence that it's not actually not a flood zone. See picture1 link below.
2. Looking at riskfactor.com however, the house is rated as 8/10 of flood risk and it's right on the edge of the flood zone. See picture 2.
3. The house has walk-out basement. The front yard is not damp (there is septic there too, septic inspection says that there is no flooding expected to be in the septic area but it's higher than backyard). 4. The backyard is on lower level and has a pond and acreek. The area around the pond is pretty damp and around 1/4 of land is marshes.
5. There are french drains around the house which drain the water into the pond.
6. It was raining the day before the inspection. I was there before when there was no rain and the pond was like 2 times smaller.
7. Inspectors didn't find any evidence of water intrusion in the house.
Check whether the current owners are paying a flood premium. If they are, there is your answer. And if not, start talking to companies you might use for homeowners insurance. They usually know the scoop.
Even if it is not in a flood zone, if there was a flood, will there be access to hospitals and evacuation routes? Will the fire dept. be able to reach the house?
Check whether the current owners are paying a flood premium. If they are, there is your answer. And if not, start talking to companies you might use for homeowners insurance. They usually know the scoop.
Unfortunately current owner have passed. This is normal for current market though. Living people don't sell houses when they are sitting pretty on a 3% mortgage.
How old is the house and how long have the current owners been in it? Have they had any instances of flooding?
It's 1989. Current owner resided there for 5 years until he passed Previous owners - 15 years. I don't see any evidence of flooding in the house, the basement is finished (was finished for a while) and the AC unit is right in the backyard and it's like 15 years old and still operates.
I do see french drains around the house though and dampness on in the area near the pond.
2. Is flood insurance required? If so, what are the premiums?
The first question is a risk assessment. Only you know how comfortable you are with the water drainage. You might want to contact a soil engineer to assess the soil and drainage.
The second question is financial. Premiums for houses in flood zones rated as "High Risk" can run into the thousands of dollars annually. If it is required, as is customarily required by mortgage lenders, you have to factor this into your monthly costs of the house. If it is not required, you have to decide if you want the insurance or go bare.
Even if it is not in a flood zone, if there was a flood, will there be access to hospitals and evacuation routes? Will the fire dept. be able to reach the house?
Yes, it's 3 minutes from major highways on a hill. I looked around the property today and in order for it to be flooded according to their maps half of the state would have to be under water. It is obvious that their maps are fool of it. But I'm still concerned about dampness of part of the backyard after rain.
Looks like more rain is coming our way so I'm going to go back there after three days of rain and see what happens.
It's 1989. Current owner resided there for 5 years until he passed Previous owners - 15 years. I don't see any evidence of flooding in the house, the basement is finished (was finished for a while) and the AC unit is right in the backyard and it's like 15 years old and still operates.
I do see french drains around the house though and dampness on in the area near the pond.
I think you're probably fine just judging by the length of time that the previous owners stayed there. I don't know if retaining ponds like that need maintenance or if it would warrant an additional inspection.
Is there any indication that the home has been put up on the market and taken back off/delisted multiple times over the years? In other words, is there anything to indicate that the previous owners had tried but failed to sell it multiple times in the past? Sometimes people stay in a house a long time because they can't unload it. Not saying that's the case with this house at all, just something to look for and to ask about if you see some indication of that.
I think you're probably fine just judging by the length of time that the previous owners stayed there. I don't know if retaining ponds like that need maintenance or if it would warrant an additional inspection.
Is there any indication that the home has been put up on the market and taken back off/delisted multiple times over the years? In other words, is there anything to indicate that the previous owners had tried but failed to sell it multiple times in the past? Sometimes people stay in a house a long time because they can't unload it. Not saying that's the case with this house at all, just something to look for and to ask about if you see some indication of that.
There are indications of that. However, it never went contingent and then relisted. They were putting it on market back and forth for a few months here and there during the course of 10 years and then finally sold it to current owner which got a great deal on it as according to public records it was sold under town appraised value (not taxable value, but actual appraisal) which is unbelievable.
What I also noticed is a lot of vegetation has been removed. When I look at google pictures from before the previous owner it was surrounded by trees and bushes while currently the amount of bushes and trees is much less. I'm not sure if this is just due to neglect of current owner or due to some other reasons.
My house inspection report also says that yard draining is not functioning properly, considering that backyard is very damp I tend to agree with that conclusion. There are french drains on both sides of the building and some older pipes laying on the ground which seem to be the pipes which used to act as french drains in the past but cracked.
Last edited by notghinsaw; 04-26-2023 at 07:10 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Previous owners - 15 years. I don't see any evidence of flooding in the house, the basement is finished (was finished for a while) and the AC unit is right in the backyard and it's like 15 years old and still operates. 
