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Flood Zone Tip When Searching for a Home

Posted By Samantha Havens @ May 21st 2012 1:43pm In: Worried About Charleston Flood Zones

Many buyers I work with are curious about which flood zone a particular home is in.  And more than that, once they do find out, they don't necessarily understand what the flood zone code may mean relative to policy coverage and cost.  Here is a great resource to use when browsing properties to help you determine if in fact the home is in a flood zone, which flood zone it is and what that means to an insurance company in terms of high vs. low risk.

Visit FreeFlood.com which will ask you to register if you have never been to their site before.  Simply enter a valid email address and password and you will be set up immediately.  From there, just enter the home's address, city, state and zip code and hit enter.  You will be provided with a flood zone code such as X, AE, VE, etc which will visually correspond to a barometer dial to help you assess if the code is in a high or low risk zone.  Pretty easy peasy.  Generally, zones that fall under V or VE are usually the most expensive since they yield the highest risk for flooding due to their elevation and location and could potentially cost a homeowner $1500+ in annual insurance/coverage.  Most other codes such as X and AE are not as high a risk and could range from approximately $400 annually for sufficient coverage.

Either way, even if flood insurance is not a requirement due to the location of your home, it is generally a good idea to carry anyway JUST IN CASE. 

Happy Househunting!

 


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