Part 2: How to remove a flood determination
First post of the year.
I feel obligated to type “Happy New Year!”, but the truth is, as of yesterday I’ve lost the shiny excitement that I’ve always had at the start of the year. My heart is heavy and saddened by the eventful Capitol breach that happened.
I had planned for my first post of 2021 to be one on mortgages, but seeing that I received an uplifting news today, I decided that this shall be instead.
Well guys, if you’d read my prior post on What to do when your property is suddenly in a flood zone, I invite you to celebrate this win with me:
my client’s property is removed from the flood zone!
I had helped put together the application and evidence as I really wanted to help my client and his family obtain a clear determination from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This isn’t about being a real estate agent; this is about helping an immigrant family whose first language isn’t english. And for that, I’m so thankful to have no language barriers upon my immigration. Paperwork is a piece of cake if only you knew what I had been through in my previous job.
Here’s sharing the steps of the process.
1. Start a FEMA application
https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/change-your-flood-zone#lomc
You may complete the request online or by sending paper forms by mail.
We did it online: https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/onlinelomc/signin, create an account.
Then… follow the instructions? It’s not complicated. It’s the same as filing taxes- you’ve just got to read the attached instructions for the line items and select your options carefully. I’ve never done this before and I understood it, so if you’re a layman like myself, I’m sure you can too.
2. Submit accompanying evidence to FEMA
There’s a section in the initial FEMA site (first link I shared) on “Gather Your Letter of Map Change (LOMC) Documents”. Don’t pay heed to that because every application’s different- just get to the actual application and as you follow the instructions you’ll be prompted for the the required documents for the submission.
In the case of my client’s there was a need to attach the top 6 files:
Everything is public information with the exception of the NFIP Elevation Certificate. That is the site elevation plan from the engineering company that was used to obtain a flood quote.
I threw in the Letter to FEMA with descriptive photos for good measure to show that the structure closest to the flood zone is an above-ground deck and that the house sits on a slope.
3. Receive FEMA’s Determination
The application was submitted on 26 Nov and on the 6th week FEMA emailed my client two Final Determination Documents and helpfully uploaded it to his application file.
In flood lingo, this is a LOMA. Everyone uses “LOMA”, but the abbreviation does not appear in big and bold letters. It’s right there- Letter of Map Amendment… LOMA!
Success in my client’s case are the words “…therefore, the Federal mandatory flood insurance requirement does not apply.” Sure there’s the probability of flood on the property - on parts of the lot - but what’s important is that the structure is not in a flood zone. That ultimately gives him peace of mind. It also does not hurt to save some hundreds of dollars on flood insurance! :)
4. Submit the loma to your Lender
My client’s lender is MassHousing; he emailed them and they got back the next day!
“MassHousing has confirmed that your property is no longer in a flood zone. Please be advised that MassHousing will forward you the updated information and a letter to supply to your insurance agent to cancel the current flood policy on your account.”
Getting the call from my client and I celebrated the news like
Remembering the day I visited to help with the application. I ate so well!
