Every year thousands of houses are being destroyed by the flood. Because of this, many people suffer from valuable property loss. However, some houses survive the flood, and their owners try to sell them later.
Thus, if you want to buy a house, you need to make a total house inspection to check if there are any problems with your potential home. If the building is located in a flooded area, there can be some signs that the house has been hit by the water. In this article, we will focus on how to tell if a home has been flooded before.
1] Examine the house
If you suspect that the house could have been flooded, look over the whole building thoroughly. Thanks to this, you will catch suspiciously looking stains or other defects that might indicate the post-flood condition of the property.
If you notice any problematic area, write it down so you can remember about it during the final house inspection. If you want to know more about house tours and house inspections, check out isoldmyhouse.com.
2] Flood Zone Ratings
To check if there was a flood around your potential house, you can review so-called flood zone ratings. To do this, go to a town office to obtain documents related to the flood history of a specific area. In this document, all geographical fields are marked depending on the flood hazard.
“Zone A” – for properties endangered by flood, “Zone B” – not threatened by flood, however, may still need some caution and you should ask an insurance company about flooding policy regarding this area. “Zone C” means that the building has almost no risk of flooding and won’t even require any flooding policy.
Knowing these ratings will make you more informed if the property you intend to buy is at potential risk of flood and if it’s a chance that it has been flooded before.
3] Check the landscape around the foundation of the building
It is also essential to look carefully at the area surrounding the foundations of the house.
The house should stand on a slight elevation so that the water can flow freely down from the house’s grounds. Pay attention to all the holes around the property where water could accumulate. This can be a potential danger during floods.
4] Are there any stains in the house?
If you suspect that your potential new house might have been flooded before, look if there are any stains or discolouration visible at the walls. Check the condition of both external and internal elevation.
Flooded houses almost always have some spots left on the walls. Therefore you should carefully examine each wall and each wooden element of the entire house.
5] Don’t forget to check the basement
In the event of flooding, the greatest danger for basements comes from rising groundwater levels. When the groundwater level rises, two different forces can cause considerable structural damage to the building fabric.
During a house tour, a seller probably won’t tell you if the house has been flooded or not. And even if everything has been repaired and the house seems to be in a perfect condition, there is one more place that you check personally.
During a house tour, visit a basement because if the house has been flooded before, there can be some stains or damages there. Also, use a flashlight to check floor joists in the basement.
6] Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Our last advice is: ask questions! Even if the seller doesn’t tell you that the house was flooded, ask questions while examining every corner of the property. Ask the seller directly about the condition of the house and its flood history. You can also talk about every noticed and suspected imperfection.
We hope that after reading this article, you will know how to check if a house has been flooded before. Always remember to check everything thoroughly before buying your dream house. Otherwise, your new property can cause many problems right from the start.
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