Houston will see new building regulations and a change in consumer behavior as a direct result of Hurricane Harvey. Housing will never be the same for Houstonians who experienced the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Things will not return back to normal as they did after the Tax Day Flood, Hurricane Ike, Tropical Storm Allison and the numerous 100 and 500 year floods we have on a regular basis. Home buyers are going to start asking real questions about the flooding of neighborhoods and whether the home they are buying is in a flood zone.
A few of the lingering effects of Hurricane are;
1. Harris County Flood Maps will no longer be the sole source for determining a home’s flood risk. Texas A&M University has developed a new website for home buyers searching to see if a home floods in Houston. Dr. Sam Brody designed a website that shows the risk of homes built in Harris County. The website is located at Texas Coastal Atlas.
2. Flood Insurance will become the normal thing for all home purchases. Mayor Parker constantly told Houstonians I don’t care if you live on the highest hill in Houston buy flood insurance. About 15% of the homes flooded by Hurricane Harvey had flood insurance. At least 3 times that number were in the flood Zone and should have had flood insurance. Flood insurance costs for homes that have not flooded runs about the cost of a two day weekend stay in Galveston.
3. Many homeowners have found out that the water level showing on the walls is lower than the actual flood level in the home. Moisture readers that detect whether water is present in sheetrock or wood cost upward from $36.00. Everyone should own a meter so that they can determine mold risk for themselves.
4. Hurricane Harvey pointed out that a home does not have to flood to cause problems for the owner. If the subdivision floods and your home is on a hill high and dry. Guess what. The electricity will be turned off because the flooded homes are fire risks. The streets may have two or more feet of water in them for days. You are going to have to wade through the water like everyone who flooded and seek shelter. Your home has just dropped in value like the homes that flooded because of these factors.
5. The city will finally change building regulations because of flood risks in Houston. There are two groups of people descending on city hall now. One group wants no homes to exist in the flood ways and areas which flood. Their thought is why should taxpayers have to keep paying money for these homes that flood. The other group wants existing home owners to be grandfathered and allowed to make the decision of whether their home has to be raised a personal decision. The easy decision is going to be what happens with homes built in the future. The city will adopt standards for all homes insuring they are built above the flood zones.
6. The Army Core of Engineers, the County, and the City are going to have to work on solving the flooding problems. Another dam will have to be built, rivers, areas behind the dams, and bayous will have to be dredged and deepened. New subdivisions and commercial developments will no longer be allowed to seek variances to keep from building required detention ponds.
Hurricane Harvey pointed out the need for home buyers and sellers to use an experienced realtor. Your Amazon echo or on line website is not going to be able to tell you what really happens during a storm or help arrange for repairs. The website cannot give you advice on how far you can drive on a street before you reach high water and have to park your car and walk.
A realtor will say to a buyer in good conscience I cannot let you buy this house because of the flood risk. A home owner will be given an honest estimation of what their alternatives are so they can make the correct decision when selling a home that flooded.
I like to think that I am first a problem solver, second a social worker, and third a realtor. If I can ever be of help call me at 713-240-2949.
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