Originally Posted By: mjones1 This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have an inspection this week and the house is in a flood zone (AO 100yr) my question to you, How do you handle this? Just a comment or put in the flood map and the history of the area etc.? Any advice would be appreciated.
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Maybe I have been doing this all wrong for the last bunch of years, but I haven’t ever checked to see whether a house was in a flood zone or not. I do check the general grade around the home to see if it has good drainage away from the foundation. I think flood determination is up to the survey company, but then again, everything down here in SW FL is in a flood zone.
Originally Posted By: lmartin This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Here in Maine we have lots of flood areas , usually there is 250-500 ft set back from high water mark, depending if its in a State or Fema flood plain. Taking this all under consideration , and doing a home inspection , one measures ,and remeasures. making sure if real estate will or not be in flood zone , again check local codes , state codes ,and FEMA maps .
Now when property owner gets insurance they will also check out flood zone.
This is very important to check out while doing an inspection, making sure new owners are under guide lines
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Lester,
You wrote: "Taking this all under consideration , and doing a home inspection , one measures ,and remeasures. making sure if real estate will or not be in flood zone , again check local codes , state codes ,and FEMA maps"
Are you saying that you perform these functions during a standard whole house inspection? That sounds more like appraisal, insurance and site survey work, and would be far in excess of a visual home inspection.
Originally Posted By: lmartin This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Blaine,
Yes one does inspection , but inspection I feel be wouldn’t valid if all wasn’t disclosed, if a buyer was going to purchase a new home, wouldn’t you tell him if it was going to be flood, in the spring.
Originally Posted By: Blaine Wiley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
If I was aware of a home in a true flood zone, I would certainly make the buyer aware, verbally, of the possibility. I wouldn’t on the other hand pull out any maps, or ever site any codes, or measure to make sure the property is a certain distance from anything. Here in my neck of the woods, many properties are in flood zones, and heck, if a good ol hurricane comes by with any strength, most of us would probably be under water if our homes were still standing. The highest elevation around here is about 18’ above sea level. That being said, we are all required as part of our insurance to have a FEMA flood level certificate from a licensed survey company prior to obtaining insurance. Because of that, the topic never comes up during a home inspection.
Blaine
P.S. I owned a home that was about 100 feet back from the 100 year water line in N. VA, and what do you know but one spring it flooded. They had to redraw the 100 year water line back about another 200 feet that year
Originally Posted By: wcampbell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
As a Home Inspector, I don’t feel that it is my responsibility to research the tax appraisors office, the county surveyors office, the city building code office and the like.
It is my job to inspect the house. That’s it.
The owners and their agents are responsible for disclosures not me.
Originally Posted By: jmyers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I would have to say, report only what you see. If you see water marks by all means report them. Otherwise let the insurance companies decide what is a flood plain.
Originally Posted By: Brad This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
You are all professional HIs, not professional engineers. The fact that they put their PE seal on the surveys that they do for buyers and lenders means they are taking responsibility for where that property is located. Why take the risk of commenting on something that has so much potential liability if you’re wrong? PEs get lots of money for using their seals, let them shoulder the risk.
Originally Posted By: evandeven This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Here in South Florida, almost everyplace is a flood zone, except of course, where my house is located! Here it is on the appraisal as to what zone you are in and in the few instances where someone has asked me, I tell them that it should be on the appraisal and that it is most probably a flood zone. We don’t have any areas that actually “flood” like they do up in Mississippi and other areas like that. In my opinion, it is just another way for the insurance company to milk an extra $200.00 out of you. They tried it with me until I showed them my appraisal.
– Eric Van De Ven
Owner/Inspector
Magnum Inspections Inc.
I get paid to be suspicious when there is nothing to be suspicious about!
Originally Posted By: evandeven This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Thanks Joe!
I have been busy working on my website and some other projects.
Thanks for asking!
I don’t know what you mean about “less fortunate” but in referance to a flood zone, the builder who constructed my neighborhood in 1970 elevated all of the land and that is why it is one of the few areas that is not a flood zone.
– Eric Van De Ven
Owner/Inspector
Magnum Inspections Inc.
I get paid to be suspicious when there is nothing to be suspicious about!
Originally Posted By: kluce This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
In here, the message board; I find myself asking or giving information that in many cases, would not be written in a report. Some people feel comfortable on giving information that goes beyond the requirements of a home inspection. If it works for them, great. Some people can get away with it and come out smelling like a rose. Other people, like myself, think it can cause more problems than good.
. Your right others get paid to disclose that information and I don’t need the added liability.
