Thursday, November 14, 2013

Floods and Real Estate Considered

Understanding the reality of floods; how they occur, how to prevent them and how to prepare when this type of disaster strikes will inevitably determine the amount of devastation and death that happens. As real estate professionals, we should be aware of these things and have basic understanding of the dangers of mild and severe flooding in our cities and towns, where we live and work. I would like to recommend a book for you to read on this very subject:

Planet Earth - Flood

By Champ Clark and Editors of Time Life Books 1982

Floods do occur and much of the planning and development of cities involves these issues, still, sometimes the overwhelming circumstances create situations that are simply unavoidable. If you as a real estate professional somehow feel uneasy about a certain area or property, check it out, look at the flood zone, ask for professional help or clarification. Contact the local flood control district, have them talk to your client directly.

Great Floods do not only happen in China, India, South or Central America. They are not isolated to the African Continent, Europe or Australia. Floods do occur in the US, some we have seen in our lifetimes, many have killed numerous people; our network of large rivers and tributaries often become overwhelmed.

In 2005, we had huge flooding in Delaware, Pennsylvania, DC and flooding occurs on the West Coast after large fires take away the watershed. Washington State in late 2007 had several cities submerged. In Nevada recently, the town of Fernley outside of Reno, flooded when an agricultural dike broke open after excessive rains.

So many folks buy a home for safety ad security, believing that they are totally safe and free from harm. Floods are ever-present, often they come as a shock to us when we see them on TV, as unexpected, yet they shouldn't be. Humankind has been dealing with flooding for its entire existence. Something to think about every time you show a home?

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