Flood Zones - What to Know with the Flood Insurance Guru!

The Perfect Property – Chris Greene, The Flood Insurance Guru

Summary:  

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should have flood insurance, the answer is yes! This episode of The Perfect Property features Chris Greene, The Flood Insurance Guru, who covers all things flood-related. Whether the source is a pipe burst inside or an epic rain event, there are baseline factors that every homeowner (or prospective homeowner) will want to weigh. 

The good news is that being in a flood zone isn’t a non-starter. The Flood Insurance Guru is all about providing education and resources to equip homeowners with the tools they need to mitigate risk and minimize impacts for which insurance coverage is minimal or non-existent. There are realities that investors need to factor into their business plan and realtors will need to incorporate in the sales process, whether on the buyer or seller side. 

You can locate flood zone information for your home address by clicking here. Additional maps and other Flood Insurance Guru resources are available here.

What You’ll Learn: 

·         Exactly what IS a flood zone? Short answer? Everything! (0:45)

o   A and AE (also known as 100-year) flood zones are high risk and most common in Atlanta.

o   B flood zones (generally coastal Georgia) are considered moderate risk.

·         The type of flood zone designation in which a property lies impacts its value. (6:50)

·         Why flood/elevation certificates are optional – but important (7:52)

·         About what to do (and how to potentially save some money) if updated mapping suddenly redefines a property you already own as falling within a flood zone.(12:17)

·         What’s not covered by most insurance: Mold mitigation and anything stored in a basement. (15:35)

·         Should you buy property in a flood zone? Yes! (16:05)

·         If you’re considering a house located within a flood zone, it’s all about education, disclosure and mitigation. Ask for flood loss documentation from current owners. (16:40)

·         Who needs flood insurance? Everyone! Why?  (20:42)

·         There is no centralized repository to search a property’s flood claim history, but if you’re the owner it’s possible to request a list from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). (22:58)

Key Quotes:

“AE is your highest risk flood zone when it comes to non-coastal areas … one in every 100 chances within a given year a property could possibly flood.” (1:45) 

“We teach people what their flood risk is, how to understand it, what the flood options are and, if a flood does occur, we walk people through how to get disaster assistance.” (13:12)

“The key with flood is that it has to inundate the property. It has to come from outside the property and generally can’t come from ground water. It has to be surface water.”  (20:20)

 Contacts & Further Resources:

Website: The Perfect Property

Website: The Flood Insurance Guru

Chris @LinkedIn

The Flood Insurance Guru YouTube Channel.

https://linktr.ee/julistgeorge