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Flood Zones - New Construction - Lot Split between A and X
Posted on 9/5/24 at 10:24 am
Posted on 9/5/24 at 10:24 am
We are considering purchasing a new construction home in Florida (panhandle area).
What is strange is that the lot is split diagonally between two different flood zones. Half the lot is Zone A and the other half is Zone X. My understanding is that I would need to spend more on flood insurance.
I have a few concerns/questions.
1. Is it weird that the home is completely split between the 2 zones? That wouldn’t impact the construction/foundation would it? So do they build up the portion of the lot that is in Zone A?
2. They’re putting a premium on this lot, when I would think this would be more of a negative. Wondering if I can negotiate this down.
3. Is this something that would/could affect resell?
4.Entire backyard is for zone A. Would that impact construction of a pool if we were to put one in? Extra costs, etc?
Our plan is to live here for a bit to see if we would want to live in the area long-term then rent it out or sell.
Anyone have thoughts on this? Would this deter you from purchasing? Anything else I should consider?
What is strange is that the lot is split diagonally between two different flood zones. Half the lot is Zone A and the other half is Zone X. My understanding is that I would need to spend more on flood insurance.
I have a few concerns/questions.
1. Is it weird that the home is completely split between the 2 zones? That wouldn’t impact the construction/foundation would it? So do they build up the portion of the lot that is in Zone A?
2. They’re putting a premium on this lot, when I would think this would be more of a negative. Wondering if I can negotiate this down.
3. Is this something that would/could affect resell?
4.Entire backyard is for zone A. Would that impact construction of a pool if we were to put one in? Extra costs, etc?
Our plan is to live here for a bit to see if we would want to live in the area long-term then rent it out or sell.
Anyone have thoughts on this? Would this deter you from purchasing? Anything else I should consider?
This post was edited on 9/5/24 at 10:25 am
4
Posted on 9/5/24 at 10:37 am to Lazy But Talented
its sort of impossible to give you direct answers.
would any of your foundation touch the a zone?
you'd have to prove such if not.
often times, the banks would require it to be written as an A zone just cause they said so.
in any case, the zones matter much less these days than it used to a few years ago. x zones don't necessarily mean cheaper any longer. it gets weird these days. I'd look into flood quotes before purchase of the property.
would any of your foundation touch the a zone?
you'd have to prove such if not.
often times, the banks would require it to be written as an A zone just cause they said so.
in any case, the zones matter much less these days than it used to a few years ago. x zones don't necessarily mean cheaper any longer. it gets weird these days. I'd look into flood quotes before purchase of the property.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 10:39 am to Lazy But Talented
In Louisiana I think you need to be one foot above base flood elevation (BFE). They'll do an elevation survey after the slab is poured and give you an elevation certificate.
Get a quote building up the foundation to that elevation and get them to take that off the price. Show them the quote.
ETA from Grok:
If you are that close to Zone A, you'll probably still want insurance. They've been raising the price of X insurance consistently every year.
Get a quote building up the foundation to that elevation and get them to take that off the price. Show them the quote.
ETA from Grok:
quote:
In Florida, the requirement for avoiding mandatory flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) typically involves elevating the lowest floor of a building, including the basement, to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). However, local regulations or practices might recommend or require structures to be elevated one foot above the BFE for additional safety against flooding, but this isn't universally mandated by the NFIP itself.
If you are that close to Zone A, you'll probably still want insurance. They've been raising the price of X insurance consistently every year.
This post was edited on 9/5/24 at 10:50 am
Posted on 9/5/24 at 11:19 am to Lazy But Talented
You're kind of looking at this from the wrong perspective. It's not so much half the lot is Zone A and half is ZoneX. When you look at the map you should think of it as any part of a structure is inside the blue shaded area will be require flood insurance.
When we purchased our house we were ZoneX. A year later they recalculated the maps and the blue shaded area (which is LIDAR Survey) overlapped a corner of my house by 6" but my entire house required flood insurance by the bank.
As others have mentioned with the new flood insurance program depending on where you live there may not be much difference between rates for Zone X and A.
If you decide to build there, then you definitely need to purchase insurance regardless of classification. You may be able to mitigate cost of insurance by included mitigation measures into the design of your house. You can always appeal your Zone determination through the LOMA process.
Yes it will affect your resale value and don't be surprised if down the road the recalculate the BFE and your house is included in the new maps.
When we purchased our house we were ZoneX. A year later they recalculated the maps and the blue shaded area (which is LIDAR Survey) overlapped a corner of my house by 6" but my entire house required flood insurance by the bank.
As others have mentioned with the new flood insurance program depending on where you live there may not be much difference between rates for Zone X and A.
If you decide to build there, then you definitely need to purchase insurance regardless of classification. You may be able to mitigate cost of insurance by included mitigation measures into the design of your house. You can always appeal your Zone determination through the LOMA process.
Yes it will affect your resale value and don't be surprised if down the road the recalculate the BFE and your house is included in the new maps.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 2:14 pm to armytiger96
Your insurance is based on the zone where your structure is located. As stated zone lines can move. My advice is to make sure the structure is completely located in Zone X by a huge buffer zone. These zone lines are hard to determine and are open to interpretation by several agencies so make sure no matter what you will be completely in zone X.
As a side note build at least three feet higher than the zone A BFE elevation. More if possible. if the zone line does change and you are now in Zone A the insurance won't be too bad.
You need to look at the diagram no. on the certificates to determine where the elevations will be measured but generally it is the lowest floor and mechanical equipment.
Pool will not matter but equipment might.
As a side note build at least three feet higher than the zone A BFE elevation. More if possible. if the zone line does change and you are now in Zone A the insurance won't be too bad.
You need to look at the diagram no. on the certificates to determine where the elevations will be measured but generally it is the lowest floor and mechanical equipment.
Pool will not matter but equipment might.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 2:26 pm to Lazy But Talented
We just built. Same exact situation. Get an elevation certificate and LOMA/LOMR-F if possible. That will open up your options regarding insurance.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 2:57 pm to rodnreel
The zone line goes diagonally across the home and lot. The home is already built.
Sorry if I didn’t make that clear in my post.
Sorry if I didn’t make that clear in my post.
Posted on 9/5/24 at 4:09 pm to Lazy But Talented
quote:
The zone line goes diagonally across the home and lot. The home is already built.
This makes a huge difference lol
You will be required to have flood insurance. And as per the new rules, without a grandfather policy to assume, your price will be not much difference anyway.
Your best bet is to reference the elevation certificate and “Lowest Adjacent Grade” (LAG) to determine if that is above BFE.
If so, you can request a LOMR-F which will effectively redraw the map around your structure. This will only exclude you from the requirement to have flood insurance, but will not significantly affect your rate (if you choose to have it).
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