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How to Buy Flood Insurance in Oxford Alabama?

November 15th, 2020 | 4 min read

By Chris Greene

Oxford Alabama is a beautiful area in East Alabama. It is just a few miles from the Georgia State line and a short trip to the Alabama mountains.

 

I went to school in Jacksonville Alabama which is only about 15 miles North of Oxford.

I remember going to college there and Oxford Alabama having the only movie theater.

My college room mates worked at the Amstar movie theater so on Thursday nights we would get to preview the new movies.

flood

That was over 15 years ago and Oxford Alabama has changed a lot. It has become one of the premier places to live in East Alabama. As it has grown so have different flood zones in the area.

So today we want to talk about how to buy flood insurance in Oxford Alabama?

 

 

Is there a right way and a wrong way to buy flood insurance?

Not exactly but if you aren't careful your wallet could be hurting.

First let's look at flood insurance options are available in Oxford Al?

Oxford Alabama is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program. This means that Oxford Alabama has access to flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Oxford Alabama also has access to private flood insurance companies. These are companies that offer flood insurance outside the National Flood Insurance Program.

Buying flood insurance in Oxford Alabama can feel stressful.

How much coverage do you need?

Is the price the same?

It can feel overwhelming so today we want to walk you through how to buy flood insurance in Oxford Alabama?

First of all when buying flood insurance you want to get a good understanding of what flood zone you are in? You can click here to check your flood zone.

Flood zones can have a big impact on flood insurance rates and the requirement to carry flood insurance in Oxford Alabama.

So let's look at a few of the flood zones in Oxford Alabama and what each one means.

The first flood zone is flood zone X. This is considered to be low risk, but that doesn't mean flooding does not occur in these zones in Oxford Alabama. The good news is this is where some of your best flood insurance rates are at. The video below also explains what is flood zone x?

 

Then there are flood zone A and flood zone AE. These are considered to be part of the special flood hazard area. This means if you carry a mortgage flood insurance will be required. The videos below explain these zones in more detail for you.

 

 

Now that we know the three main flood zones in Oxford Alabama, let's take you through the buying process.

The example we will use today is the purchase of a new home.

Let's use Thomas as our example. Thomas is in the process of relocating his family to Oxford Alabama.

He has found the perfect home for his family. It has a big yard for his kids and even room for his boat. The home backs up to a lake which is perfect for him to do his weekend bass fishing.

Thomas is ready to put a contract on the home but then finds out it is in a special flood hazard area.

What should Thomas do?

Well Thomas should reach out to an insurance agency that specializes in flood insurance like The Flood Insurance Guru.

He wants to find someone that can walk him through each option.

So lets look at option 1

Let's say that there is a current National Flood Insurance Program policy on the property. Depending on if there is enough coverage on the policy you may be able to do a policy assumption.

What is a policy assumption in Oxford Alabama?

 

This is when a flood insurance policy is transferred from one property owner to another one.

Some of the benefits of this is it can lock in flood insurance rates that are no longer available in Oxford Alabama?

So what if there is not a policy on the property in Oxford Alabama?

Well then you will need to set up a new flood policy.

The options could depend on what type of loan Thomas is doing on the property?

Let's look at an FHA loan first.

What are the flood insurance options on FHA loans in Oxford Alabama?

As we write this blog in November 2020 FHA loans currently only allow for flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

So what is the process of getting a flood insurance quote in Oxford Alabama on FHA loans?

Let's look at two things pre-firm and post-firm structures. These are structures that were built before and after the first flood map. If a property was built after the first flood map and it is in the special flood hazard area then an elevation certificate would probably be required.

 

Where can you get an elevation certificate in Oxford Alabama? Click here to find out

 

So you have been able to get your FHA flood insurance quote on the property but it seems very high.

Yes National Flood Insurance Program flood insurance quotes in Oxford Alabama can be high. This is why its important to work with someone that can help you minimize the premiums through mitigation.

So now let's look at If Thomas decides to do a conventional loan.

Thomas already has a National Flood Insurance Program quote so let's look at the other options.

There are plenty of private flood insurance options in Oxford Alabama. We offer about twenty different options here at The Flood Insurance Guru. Click here to get a quote.

When getting these quotes you want to make sure to get about 5 different options in the Oxford Alabama area. Each private flood insurance carrier looks at risk differently. So one option might be $1500 and another option might be $500.

So Thomas has gotten all his quotes together. The private flood insurance quotes seem to be about 40% less than the National Flood Insurance Program quotes.

Why is that?

Well private flood insurance carriers use different rating factors other than flood zones.

After getting all the quotes together Thomas decides to go with the conventional loan because it is going to save him about $1500 a year on his flood insurance premiums.

Thomas is able to get moved into his new house in Oxford Alabama. Could you hav imagined if Thomas had not known about all the different private flood insurance options?

He may have walked away from his dream house. Understanding the flood insurance options in Oxford Alabama is just as important as understanding how to buy flood insurance in oxford Alabama?

So if you have further questions about flood insurance in Oxford Alabama then click here.

You can also learn more about flood insurance in Oxford Alabama by checking out our YouTube channel and podcast.

Remember we have an educational background in flood mitigation which means we are here to help you understand your flood risks, flood insurance, and mitigating your property long term.

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Chris Greene