[pmbinnj]

Looking to hear from anyone with flood insurance on their Village's home or any new home buyer who has been told flood insurance is needed in The Villages. We are in the process of buying a home but were surprised to hear flood insurance may be needed. Unfortunately, after super-storm Sandy hit the Jersey shore we became very sensitive to flood prone areas. Never thought we'd have to again buy flood insurance in the center of Florida

[indianavette]

I bought it but will not renew it. I don't believe it is needed.

[buggyone]

It would depend on where you have your home. I have seen some houses over at Hill Top golf course that probably needed it due to how the hill slopes right down into their house.

[OBXNana]

We bought flood insurance without a second thought when we purchased in The Villages. We have property in the Outer Banks that has a high premium and have never filed a claim. We live in PA, no place near an ocean or sound, and had extensive damage from a weak hurricane that was down graded by the time it hit us inland. We had damage. A bank may not require flood insurance for a loan, but that doesn't mean you will never be hit by a storm in the middle of Florida.

It's our personal choice to buy the insurance. Only you can determine your comfort level. There are other threads on this subject that deal with the state of Florida and damage done by storms in the past. You may want to do a search.

[Bonanza]

The flooding in most areas in TV is a real possibility. Not much fill was used in the construction of any of our homes. You do not have to live in a flood zone to need flood insurance. A homeowner's policy does not protect you from flooding, which can come from something as simple as a heavy downpour.


Floods are the #1 natural disaster in the U.S.
Losses total more than a billion dollars a year.
The average flood loss is in the $30,000+ range.
An inch of water can cause damage to your property.
Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states.
Nearly 25% of all flood losses occur in low-to moderate-risk zones.
Flood damage is not covered by most homeowners policies.


And no -- I do not work for an insurance company
or have anything to do with flood insurance.
I just think that anyone who doesn't have it, is foolish.
JMO

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by OBXNana

We bought flood insurance without a second thought when we purchased in The Villages. We have property in the Outer Banks that has a high premium and have never filed a claim. We live in PA, no place near an ocean or sound, and had extensive damage from a weak hurricane that was down graded by the time it hit us inland. We had damage. A bank may not require flood insurance for a loan, but that doesn't mean you will never be hit by a storm in the middle of Florida.

It's our personal choice to buy the insurance. Only you can determine your comfort level. There are other threads on this subject that deal with the state of Florida and damage done by storms in the past. You may want to do a search.

Well said. I also have coverage.

[Bizdoc]

If you go to www.sumtergis.com (for Sumter addresses) you can see the property map. One feature lets you click on the curves for revised flood plain (per Homeland Security). That may (or may not) influence you.

Keep in mind that 1 foot of water will make a mess out of your home - it isn't just the 10 foot tidal surge.

We have it and intend to keep it.

[meddicjr]

We were told we did not need flood insurance but went ahead and purchased it just to be safe. Also purchased sink hole insurance. May not need it but it makes me sleep better.

[Dreamer61]

Thanks Bonaza! Great information helped me decide to keep our flood coverage!

[justjim]

Unless you live in a floodplain I respectfully disagree about purchasing flood insurance. Sinkhole coverage yes. We are on our third TV home.

[NottaVillager]

Originally Posted by OBXNana

We bought flood insurance without a second thought when we purchased in The Villages. We have property in the Outer Banks that has a high premium and have never filed a claim. We live in PA, no place near an ocean or sound, and had extensive damage from a weak hurricane that was down graded by the time it hit us inland. We had damage. A bank may not require flood insurance for a loan, but that doesn't mean you will never be hit by a storm in the middle of Florida.

It's our personal choice to buy the insurance. Only you can determine your comfort level. There are other threads on this subject that deal with the state of Florida and damage done by storms in the past. You may want to do a search.

Agreed. We spent a while living in a town that held the dubious honor of being the highest elevated borough in all of PA. Sitting up on top of a mountain we carried flood insurance there. Why? Because as the poster above mentioned there was a slow moving former-hurricane which hung in and poured down tons of water. As the water rolled down the streets it began finding it's way into basements.

One thing that needs to be remembered. When it comes to any form of damage where water MIGHT be considered the culprit do not expect your standard homeowner's policy to step right up and help you out. They will fight like hell to NOT pay you. They will NOT act as your friend.

Living in a place like FL where hurricanes and watery weather are a fact of life a flood policy makes good sense, and since TV as well as the surrounding towns are NOT in "major risk" areas the price for the policies are rather low. Ours costs a little over $200. A small price to pay for peace of mind on a major investment like your home.

[villagetinker]

BIZDoc, thanks for the link. I see from it that our house is only 5 feet above the "100 year" flood zone. I am going to take another look at the flood policy, we were quoted $129/year.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by justjim

Unless you live in a floodplain I respectfully disagree about purchasing flood insurance. Sinkhole coverage yes. We are on our third TV home.

Jim -- I'm not sure you really understand what flood insurance is. I say that because you are basing having it or not having it upon whether or not you live in a flood zone.

Being in a flood zone is only one small part of having that kind of insurance. I'm not going to copy the many pieces of information here, but I think you will be surprised if you Google flood insurance and read the many different articles available on the subject.

[Bizdoc]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

BIZDoc, thanks for the link. I see from it that our house is only 5 feet above the "100 year" flood zone. I am going to take another look at the flood policy, we were quoted $129/year.

We are above the 100 year plain, but still have flood insurance as we feel that it is prudent. Our last home did not have flood insurance, but it was 1400 feet above sea level on a mountain ridge. The closest body of water was roughly 500 feet below us. We figured that if we flooded, we'd need ark insurance rather than simple flood insurance... <smile>

[mulligan]

Simply put, your homeowners ins. does not cover rising water, irrespective of the source. That seems to be true of all policies, but I could be wrong there.