Don't Rely Only on FEMA Maps; Some "Low Risk" Houses Flooded in the Past 30 Years

Comparing FEMA flood Map to Actual Flooding From Hurricane Isabel in 2003, Demonstrating that FEMA Maps Need to be Updated, & that Buyers, Tenants, & Owners Must Not Rely Exclusively on FEMA maps. Images courtesy Matrix & First Street

If a property is in flood zone X, it means that, per FEMA, it is the least likely to flood. It includes even ski slopes and mountain peaks since zone X is the default zone for properties of the lowest risk. However, sometimes, contrary to popular belief, as you can see from the picture above, areas within zone X have flooded in the past 30 years.

Zone X, the Least Likely Area to Flood, as viewed on Massanutten Mountain w/ Ski Slopes

Zone X is the least likely area to flood, or at least they are supposed to be. Here are some pics from Massanutten Mountain, where I've skied on at least a few occasions in Virginia:

Massanutten Mountain & Ski Slopes from Aerial View

Massanutten Mountain & Ski Slopes from Aerial View w/ Flood Zones

Looking on MLS Feed for Flood Zones

How to look at the FEMA map from directly within the Matrix portal that is common in Central & Eastern Virginia across most Multiple Listing Services

Don't Rely Exclusively on the FEMA Flood Zones & Many 3rd Party Services That Rely on Them

Whether MLS or a public resource, don't rely exclusively on FEMA maps; aim for First Street maps.

The best free public-facing integrated option I've seen for flood zones is pulled from First Street, and available on Realtor.com, i.e.:

First Street Image on Realtor.com

Image courtesy Realtor.com

Work with an Agent with a Paid Subscription to First Street to See Data Like Flood Projections & Historic Flood Maps from Flood Events

Here is an example similar to what you'd see on First Street, except you can change it based on the % chance of flooding or the timing based on projections:

Image courtesy First Street

Understand that Flood Events Are Getting Much Worse Over Time Faster than Many Realize: See 15 Year Projections on 1st Street

Homeownership is best in the long term, holding onto it rather than bouncing to another property & selling your current property. The image in the section immediately above this one is very different than the 15-year projection for the same area below:

Image courtesy First Street

1 Year Probability Isn't Sufficient Even on 1st Street

Hurricane Isabel's flooding, per 1st Street, has a less than 1% chance of happening again in some locations at the levels seen then. I think that's being too conservative personally.

Here's a 1% probability map of a property:

Image courtesy First Street

See this property now in Hurricane Isabel terms:

Image courtesy First Street

To be Warned of Numerous Potential Hazards, for Buyers, I recommend...

1. Doing your own due diligence on area factors (i.e. environmental factors) & property factors by year, especially regarding matters your agent isn't able to share with you candidly about due to potential legal issues (i.e. crime).

2. Diligently search to find a buyer's agent or broker who is both highly knowledgeable and exceptionally honest. They do exist, and they don't always do a ton of sales or have hundreds of reviews. The top agents by volume sell themselves well. The top agents, as in my case, sometimes don't have high volume in part due to little things like not having good enough SEO on their website and not wanting to pay high referral fees on leads (i.e. 50% of their gross commission, before their split with their firm).

3. If buying in Adam's coverage area, consider Adam as a potential agent. If outside of it, consider a referral from him.

Buyer beware.