I was looking at a house, but when I checked it’s address in floodsmart.gov, its listed as high risk. It’s 50 miles from the coast–maybe there’s a large lake or pond nearby. I don’t know why it’s listed as high risk. Anyway, would you pass something by based on the flood factor alone?
We’re a thousand miles from any coast and most of this town is also in a flood zone. We get monsoon rains in the summer and the creeks and flood channels can fill in minutes.
If you buy in a flood zone, you will be required to have flood insurance by the mortgage lender. Most of our flood insurances here run about $1000/year, not an insignificant sum.
Shop for the flood insurance, there are 2 agencies I have heard that underwrite, and 1 is cheaper. Try to get $5,000 deductible IF you are not worried about a flood actually happening. Lots of areas with now minimal flood risk support those with much higher present-day risk. The last downtown rowboat was spotted here in the 1930’s.
As for resale, people seem to have short memories. I have seen formerly flooded homes sell very well, when rehabbed. This was in the 100-year floodplain in Lakeside, California. One year later and it was as if the flood had never happened.
Furnishedowner
You have to know the area. If it really is an area with bad flooding, I would pass. There is plenty to buy, you don’t have to knowingly buy a problem.
“Flood zone” doesn’t mean all that much; you have to know the history of the area.
By the way, if you consider buying around the Oregon coast, all you have to do is look at the surrounding farms. If they have cow pads, the area gets major serious flooding. A cow pad is a man made flat topped hill designed for the cows to get above the flood waters.
Thanks for the informative posts. I’m curious to find out why that house is considered a flood zone. Most that I check out online in this area aren’t.
All of SW Florida is a FEMA flood zone and yet multi million dollar homes keep being built. The issue is Ins. all costal homes are only insurable by Citizens Ins which is a state run program and expensive. Along the Mississippi is also a hard place to sell when floods happen along there the homes are under water for days. We had flooding here in N. IL where it had never been considered a flood zone but it was and FEMA came in and bought many homes to knock down. No easy answer but if your questioning it so will your buyer.
"Flood zone" doesn't mean all that much; you have to know the history of the area.
It doesn’t mean all that much until you start pricing insurance.
Sometimes a previously listed zone is not removed because of uncertainty. If floods occur a lot of houses would suffer from non insured situation.