Should You Worry About Your House Being in a Flood Zone?

Flood zones are land areas identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Each flood zone describes that land area in terms of its risk of flooding. To identify a community’s flood risk, FEMA conducts a Flood Insurance Should you worry about your house being a in a flood zone?Study. This study includes statistical data for river flow, storm tides, hydrologic/hydraulic analyses, and rainfall and topographic surveys. All of this information is used to create what is known as FIRMs (Flood Insurance Rate Maps). This is used to not only rate areas in terms of flood risk but also to determine the resulting flood insurance rates.

The important thing to remember however is that everyone lives in a flood zone-it’s just a matter of knowing whether you are in a more dangerous zone or a relatively low-risk zone. Another thing to remember is that buying a home in a flood zone (depending on the level) does not necessarily mean that it will flood…it is only a measure of the likelihood of the event.

Now to describe and define the three types of flood zones: In high-risk areas, there is at least a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. In moderate-to-low risk areas, the risk of being flooded is reduced but not completely removed. In these areas, it is not necessary to have flood insurance for your home but it is still recommended. There are also undetermined-risk areas. No flood-hazard analysis has been conducted in these areas, but a flood risk still exists.

So the question remains, should you worry about your home flooding? Floods are reportedly the most common natural disaster in the US and everyone can experience one in their home-owning career. Floods are not just limited to coastal areas or as a result of tropical storms. The unthinkable scenarios such as heavy snows melting, flash floods, Dams/levees (as in New Orleans during Katrina), or construction and development can all lead to flooding. Thus, everyone should think about and consider getting some type of flood insurance, especially if you live in a moderate to high-risk area. It is very important when moving to look up your area’s flood map and to adequately assess whether or not flood insurance is something you want to consider. The answer to the question is yes, you should be concerned enough to do some preliminary research and make an informed decision.

Now having armed you with this knowledge, go forth and learn more about flood zones…but only if you really want to!

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.

Buying Investment Property? Consider Florida

When buying investment property, one of the most important factors to consider is location. The better and more desirable the location, the more interest you will generate; as a result you will be able to charge your tenants a higher price and getFlorida Real Estate Invesment Properties the best return on your investment. A good location also ensures that your property will not be as affected by the ups and downs of the housing market. Florida has many great properties located in very desirable areas which will attract a great clientele.

There are many special attributes that make Florida a great place to live such as the fact that the sunshine lasts almost all year long, making it one of the best year-round vacation spots. The fact that it is home to many theme parks including both Universal Studios and Disney World makes it a great place for families to vacation. The attractions of Orlando have caught the eyes of over 50,000 British investors and other foreigners are now entering the market as well. The breathtaking scenery and numerous beaches accompanied by the best beach weather anyone can hope for makes Florida ideal for purchasing investment property.

Not only is the location great but the cities are thriving; there are numerous highly-populated cities in Florida which is another great reason to invest here. It is important to remember that Florida’s economy is primarily driven by tourism. In fact, central Florida sees over 49 million tourists annually and growing; Florida’s increasing popularity has pushed up the villa prices making villas and rental homes a great investment. Florida’s housing market has a longtime history of being one of the most profitable; known for being one of the fastest growing markets in the States, recent price rises include 36% in Naples and 28% in Orlando.

Finally, let us not forget that many important yearly events take place in Florida such as Bike Week in Daytona, NASCAR, Formula One, Grand Am and Motocross. These motorsports attract many fans from around the country. If you’re looking for a great return on an investment property, consider buying in Florida. Hope this information helped!

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.

10 Reasons You Should move to Orlando, Florida

Some people visit exotic places and big cities while on vacation but they would never want to live in these places for reasons like employment, harsh weather, terribly crowded cities or even the cost of living.  Orlando, Florida is not one of those places! Once you visit Orlando you will want to come back and stay.  There are many reasons people love living in Orlando but here are the top 10 reasons Orlando is not only a good place to visit but a great place to live.

1. Weather Reasons to move to Orlando Florida

The weather in Orlando has an average temperature in the 80’s, mild rain and thunderstorms in the summer and cool evenings in the winter with the occasional frost.  The nice thing about this weather is that the most preparation you would need would be an umbrella in your car and or office and a jacket just a few days out of the year.  No need for salt or a snow shovel, no ski jacket or boots, no layering of clothing and finally no emergency car kit for when the weather gets so bad you end up being stranded on the interstate.  Sure we have times when it rains all day, but if you haven’t experienced lying down for a nap while you hear the pitter patter of the rain outside your window you don’t know what you are missing.

2. Housing

The real estate market in Orlando suffered in 2004 much like it did across the rest of the country, but the recovery here has been much faster than other places.  The housing here ranges much like other areas but the average family home here is still very reasonable at $150K.  Even better than that, the way things have been trending with the rental market and vacation market the value seems much more resilient than other places in the country.

3. Cost of living

What good is it to be in a place where you have no choice but to make boat loads of money just to live a reasonable middle class life?  California anyone?  There are 9 states with no state income tax, Florida happens to be one of them and the cost of living is much less than other cities throughout the united states.

4. Recreation

Here in Orlando we don’t have to plan sports around the seasons, convertibles and motorcycles can be enjoyed year around and that tan you worked so hard building over the summer gets to stick around almost 10 months out of the year.  Recreation activities such as fishing, Barbequing, golfing, boating or bike riding is something that can be enjoyed any time in Orlando.

5. Employment

People love to visit the mountains for some rest and relaxation or Las Vegas for well…we can leave that one up to the imagination BUT there is little to no diverse industry and employment in these places.  Orlando is known for its excellent industry for both large business and small business whether its technology based like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Siemens or the diverse service based industries.  This maybe what helps push Florida into the 7.1% unemployment rate.

6. Restaurants

Dinning out in Orlando is about as diverse as you can get, with the support of over 5,000 restaurants and diners, you could be entertained with knights-in-shining armor at a medieval times dinner show or treated like royalty at Cinderella’s Royal table.  Even famous cooks like Emeril Lagasse have locations in Orlando.

7. Retirement

Retirement is a time in your life where you quit your career work and begin to do things you really always wanted to do like golf, play tennis or finally restore that ’57 Chevy your dad once drove.  Orlando is perfect for that, especially with communities specifically oriented to 55 and up age groups.  These places showcase this highly sought after lifestyle with all the careful planning so you have anything you need in close vicinity. There are even some places where the primary mode of transportation is a tricked out golf cart!

8. Commute

The amount of traffic can’t really compare to that of Sioux Falls South Dakota BUT for the size of the city and amount of visitors Orlando receives every year from tourism the traffic is really not too bad; in fact with the recent addition of the SunRail and other mass commuter trains it is only going to get better!

9. Schools

Looking at primarily the higher education programs Orlando offers great public and private colleges from one of the largest public Colleges, The University of Central Florida to one of the most prestigious private liberal arts schools, Rollins College and not to mention the college known for having alumni that have received both Oscar and Grammy awards, Full Sail University.

10. Year around celebration

I do not know if it’s the weather or just the industry here but it seems like almost every weekend there is some kind of event going on whether is an annual wine and food festival, sidewalk art shows, flower festival, beer and wine festival, BBQ and bands, Chili cook-off, film festivals and even ones that are friendly to the “four legged” ones Pints n’ Paws.

No matter what you are in to Orlando, Florida most likely has it and this is one of the main reasons Orlando is not just a great place to visit on vacation but also an awesome city to live in!

Share your thoughts about Orlando in the comments below. Or if you have another city you think tops the list of great cities to live in feel free to share that as well!

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.