“X” Marks the Spot! Flood Zones and Flood Insurance in Naples, Florida

  

When people ask us, “Is this house in a flood zone?” the answer is “Yes.” That answer is always correct but that is the wrong question!  The real question is “Is this house in a flood zone which would require flood insurance? Now the answer becomes more involved but easily answered just the same. 

Collier County has the proud distinction of providing FEMA with the most detailed maps and information for determination of the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps.  FEMA’s job is to protect us so this is good news.  Most of Collier County sits between 5 feet and 25 feet above sea level and there is very little slope to any of our land.  This makes flooding a possibility in a storm or heavy rainfall. The flood zone designations begin with the letters “V” for the coastal and beach areas which are most at risk in a storm, “A” for areas which could also flood and “X” for land that is higher than the 100 year flood line (a 1% risk of flooding).

Regarding flood insurance, if you own your property outright then there is no requirement for you to have insurance although you may still want to obtain coverage.  If your entire structure is located in an “X” zone and there is no federally insured mortgage on the property, then no flood insurance is required.  Of all of the zones, the most desirable zone from a flood insurance point of view is an “X” zone in which the rates will be lower. If any portion of your home or structure (like a swimming pool) is within or touches one of the zones starting with a “V” or an “A” and there is a federally insured mortgage on the property, then flood insurance is required. Note – if there is a mortgage, the lender can require flood insurance as a condtion of the loan, no matter what the flood zone may be.

Here is the step-by-step way of finding out in which zone any address in Naples, Florida is located:

Go to www.CollierGov.net   and click on the tab that says, “Browse by Topic” –  Scroll down to “FEMA Flood Maps” and click on it  – Near the top of the page you will see a blue hyperlink that says, “FINAL DFIRM with the flood zones” – click on it. You will see a map of the area.  –  At the top right, there is an address search box. Type in the street address of the property. Select the city in the box immediately below the street address.  –  Click on “LOCATE”. Your computer will zoom in on the property address and identify the zone.  You can zoom in and out to investigate just where the lines between the zones are located, too.

There you go – it’s that simple to find out the flood zone for any property in Naples.  If you have any questions or need a little help with finding everything on your computer, just call Tim.

So, now you want to know how much flood insurance will cost.  Flood insurance premiums vary depending upon factors such as the age of the building and the degree of risk for flooding.  We have worked very successfully with local insurance professionals to provide coverage for our real estate clients and would be happy to refer one to you. 

We have the kind of local knowledge that you need to make smart real estate decisions. Call us today.

Ellie at (239) 776-5077       Tim at (2390 272-4848

Ellie@StepsToTheBeach.com       TimCranch@StepsToTheBeach.com

 

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