What is the difference between a zone determination and an elevation certificate?

You just found out your dream home is in a high risk flood zone and your are crushed, what do you do? You start calling around getting pricing but you are being told all these different documents are needed. So what exactly are these documents, well one is a zone determination and another is an elevation certificate.

A zone determination letter is a document that is normally provided by the National Flood Insurance program. This document tells exactly what flood zone the property is in, whether its a special hazard loan, and if the community participates in the national flood insurance program.

An elevation certificate is a document provided by a surveyor that shows the different elevations of the home, appliances, and area around the home. The elevations on this certificate will tell you whether this property can be removed from a special hazards home.

Understanding the difference between these is important when looking at a flood zone property because it can have a big impact on your ability to resell the home. There is also a big difference in pricing zone determinations should be free to you, if you are being charged just click her to get your free zone determinationwww.floodinsuranceguru.com. When it comes to elevation certificates these can cost between $400-$1000 because it requires a someone to come survey the property.  Many times if someone already has flood insurance on the property you might be able to obtain the elevation certificate from which ever insurance company that holds the flood insurance policy.

If you have questions about how to get an elevation certificate or a zone determination we recommend reaching out to a flood insurance expert like Chris Greene at the Flood Insurance Guru.