If you live in a state with no disclosure requirements, however—e.g., Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, and Virginia—you will have to probe for more information on your own. Below are some sample questions you can try asking the seller (or landlord).
- Has there ever been any flooding on the property? If yes, how many times, and did the incidents cause major damage, such as foundation cracks or buckling floors?
- Do you have flood insurance, or is there a mandate to have flood insurance for the property?
- Is the property in a flood hazard area, designated flood zone, or wetland area?
- Have you ever received federal disaster flood assistance for flood damage on the property?
Note that your prospective new neighbors may also be open to sharing information about past storm incidents. This can be especially helpful if you’re considering a home that was recently flipped, since the flipper only has to disclose what they know in their short period as property owners. Long-time residents of the area could help you fill in the gaps.
Make use of property and neighborhood reports from FEMA and other agencies
The flood maps maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are outdated and unable to provide an assessment at a property level, but they do offer more zoomed-out information. If your potential home is in a zone coded with the letters A or V, it means it is considered a Special Flood Hazard Area, with a high risk of flooding. And if it’s part of a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, you, too, will be required to buy flood insurance. If your home is located in a zone coded with letters B, C, or X, it means it is in a Non-Special Flood Hazard Area with moderate or low-risk flooding.
To dig deeper, you can also request a Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) report online, which details select insurance claims on a property for the past seven years. Keep in mind, though, that not every insurance company participates in submitting information to the CLUE database, and some owners don’t document damages to their property. But the report could bring to light some potential issues with the property, including flood damage.
FEMA now offers a useful tool that allows anyone to get a quote on flood insurance premiums, which can clue you into flood risks (i.e. expensive insurance means it’s a high-risk property).
Look up the elevation of the property to gauge its flooding resiliency and inspect the grounds
FEMA uses base flood elevation—a gauge of how high the surrounding water levels might rise during a storm—to decide how at risk an area is for flooding. Various smartphone apps can clarify where your home is situated relative to sea level. On an iPhone, use the Compass app or Apple Maps; on an Android, try Google Maps. Keep in mind, though, that areas at high elevations can still see devastating floods too; take the damage suffered by the residents of the mountainous areas of western North Carolina due to Hurricane Helene as an example.
You can also do some investigating IRL. If possible, wait for a rainy day to see whether there are any low spots on or around the property that collect water. And take some time to explore the neighborhood. Are there any underpasses or streets that flood easily and would impact your route to work or school or your access to emergency services? If the home happens to be situated at the bottom of a hill, are the sewage drains working properly?
