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FEMA’s New Site is Very Cool!

By
Mortgage and Lending with ReadySetLoan Condo Team LLC

FEMA’s New Site is Very Cool!

Part of the submission package for FHA condominium project approval is to supply FHA with a FEMA flood map which outlines the property boundaries of the condominium.  Several months ago, I wrote about how FEMA had modified their site.  Well, they did so again recently.  And this new, highly interactive site, is even easier to use than their last rebuild and saves us time.

The web address is https://msc.fema.gov.  Scrolling down below the message Welcome to FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, it reads “Looking for a Flood Map?” on the left.  Below it is an input box as shown below.  You can input an address, location or longitude/latitude coordinates.

flood map lookup

I typed in an address for a condominium that we recently helped to get approved with FHA.  Part of one of the buildings was noted as being in a flood zone.  You can see from below, entering the address brought up map panel 25017C0116E (in blue letters).

The shaded area outlined in teal displays the boundaries of the flood map panel.  The red indicator shows the relative location of the address.  This is extremely helpful in locating the property.  Previously, we had to open Google Maps and cross-reference it with the flood map.  In the box to the right, there is an option to view the panel, which will open a new window.

flood map

Another improvement in the picture above is located over to the left where it reads "Letters of Map Change".  There, one can access if there have been any Revisions, Amendments or Revalidations to the flood map in question.  Previously, these were located in a different area of the site.  [Incidentally, we were able to obtain a Letter of Map Amendment for this condominium project which can be found by clicking “Amendments”]

The new window looks like the picture below.  You can see how time-consuming it might be to locate a property without being given its relative location.  Luckily, we know it’s in the bottom-right (which I outlined with a red box).

 fema flood map

In the image below, I have zoomed in quite a bit to show the building that was in question and outlined it in white.  We can see that the Flood Zone AE intersects the building in two locations.  The Association paid for an Elevation Certificate and we submitted a request to obtain a Letter of Map Amendment, which was approved in July.

 fema flood map

I would estimate that the new site saves us up to 10 minutes per submission, which may not sound like a lot but adds up to about 3 hours per month! 

If you have questions on how to use the site, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Posted by

The Condominium Project Approval Team at ReadySetLoan is dedicated to helping condominium projects across the nation to obtain their approvals with FHA and the VA or become recertified with FHA.  We have assisted nearly 200 condominiums and we can help your association.

 

ReadySetLoan is an active member of the Connecticut and New England chapters of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and is a frequent contributor to Common Interest Magazine as an expert in FHA/VA condominium project approvals.

 

Please contact us with any questions regarding FHA or VA condominium project approvals.  You can email me at askeric@readysetloan.com or call me at 404-433-4565. I will be happy to answer any of your questions.

 


FHA/VA Condo Approval Specialist

404-433-4565 Cell Phone

860-644-3772 Fax Phone

eric.boucher@readysetloan.com
ready set loan condo team

 

 CAI-CT logo

 Check out our article in Common Interest magazine on page 19!

Find Eric Boucher with ReadySetLoan Condo Team on Google+

Comments (12)

John Pusa
Glendale, CA

Eric - You are right. I like the layout o the new FEMA's website.

Aug 24, 2014 03:07 AM
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

Eric, It is nice to see that the powers that be are making changes to make the site easier to use. The technology is there ... no sense in not using it to enhance the user experience. 

Aug 24, 2014 03:15 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Eric - the site was so cool I forgot to leave my comment.  I check a lot of my known addresses.  So far so good.

Aug 24, 2014 04:09 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Erica

Very informative post . . . . thanks for sharing the FEMA"s site link.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Aug 24, 2014 07:01 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Eric, I have not been on the new FEMA site, so thanks for the link, I will check it out.

Aug 24, 2014 08:54 AM
Joe Petrowsky
Mortgage Consultant, Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS # 2709 - Manchester, CT
Your Mortgage Consultant for Life

Good morning Eric. Thank you for the link, I have not been on the site as yet, so I appreciate the info.

Make it a great week!

Aug 24, 2014 08:15 PM
ReadySetLoan Team
ReadySetLoan Condo Team LLC - South Windsor, CT
Residential, Commercial & Condo Financing Experts

Hi John - FEMA sure made the site easy to use!

Hi Kathleen - yes, they did a great job!

Grant - your comment made me laugh out loud (not just lol)

I'm glad that you derived benefit from it, Lou

Hi George - it can certainly help to identify potential flood insurance issues for your clients.  I don't like that lenders wait until the last possible second to do a flood cert.

Aug 24, 2014 08:20 PM
ReadySetLoan Team
ReadySetLoan Condo Team LLC - South Windsor, CT
Residential, Commercial & Condo Financing Experts

Good morning Joe.  The site is pretty cool.  You should check it out.

Aug 24, 2014 08:27 PM
Conrad Allen
Re/Max Professional Associates - Webster, MA
Webster, Ma, Realtor

Hi Eric.  I went in.  I need a lot of practice.  I entered the address.  It showed up but I couldn't find out which flood plain it was in.

Aug 24, 2014 09:07 PM
ReadySetLoan Team
ReadySetLoan Condo Team LLC - South Windsor, CT
Residential, Commercial & Condo Financing Experts

Hi Conrad - I'll message you.

Aug 24, 2014 11:40 PM
Paul Davidson

Great article. Thanks for the info, this is really a helpful post. BTW, if anyone needs to fill out an Elevation Certificate form, I found a blank form in this link http://pdf.ac/6LB1j. This site PDFfiller also has several related forms that you might find useful.

Mar 20, 2015 12:46 AM
ReadySetLoan Team
ReadySetLoan Condo Team LLC - South Windsor, CT
Residential, Commercial & Condo Financing Experts

Thank you Paul.

Mar 21, 2015 01:21 AM