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Message from Jim

Please join us next month for our continuing education class, "Land Surveying, Flood Zones, and Real Estate"!

Date: October 13, 2015, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Instructor: Jim Nadeau
Sponsor: Beyond the Boundary, the Educational Component of Nadeau Land Surveys
Location: Husson University, 340 County Road, Westbrook, ME, Room 105
CE Credits: 3 Clock Hours - Maine Real Estate Commission and Maine Board of Real Estate Appraisers
Fee: $35
Seating Capacity: 40

Please note this course is NOT offered by Husson University, all inquiries should be directed to Nikki Oteyza at Beyond the Boundary

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR THIS COURSE!

Beyond the Boundary is in the process of developing several new courses with intention to get them approved for continuing education credit for real estate licensees, appraisers, lenders, code enforcement officers, and other consultants. Based largely on responses from our student evaluations, but also because we have so much important information to share, we will be expanding upon our current course, "Land Surveying, Flood Zones, and Real Estate". Our new courses will provide the same introductory concepts in land surveying and floodplain management, but go more in-depth with practical examples, demonstrations, and activities.

Do you prefer a longer course with expanded content and activities, or shorter courses with more specific content? Please complete a brief survey to let us know!

Thank you!

Are you more of a visual learner? Click on the above photo to view a nifty infographic on "What Goes into a Flood Map" by Roy Wright, FEMA 2014. Learning the steps involved may help some people understand why addressing flood map error is not a quick and easy process.

Resources

FEMA's Coastal Flood Risk Study Process

Updating Flood Insurance Rate Maps and Flood Insurance Studies to provide current and more accurate data for risk evaluation is a time consuming and expensive process, but it is greatly needed for regulation of coastal development and for accurately calculating flood insurance premiums. Community outreach and education on flood risk, maps, and insurance is an important part of protecting property owners and our coasts.

Click here to learn more about the process, including issuing preliminary maps, appeals, final determinations, and for links to mapping resources.

Tying Flood Insurance to Flood Risk for Low-Lying Structures in the Floodplain

The National Research Council of the National Academies recently published a report on procedures for analyzing flood hazard and calculating insurance rates, methods for assessing flood risk, and alternative approaches for calculating risk-based premiums for negatively elevated structures.

Check it out! Download it for free or purchase a paperback copy.

In the News

10 Years After Katrina: What an Unstable NFIP Means for Flood Insurance

By Caitlin Bronson, Insurance Business America, August 26, 2015
"The road to such a dynamic and sustainable private market is still fraught with obstacles. NFIP rates are still too low to entice many carriers to offer their own flood products...Getting to rates where even the NFIP will break even is vital for a healthy private market."
Read more!

Why the surcharge?! To support the financial stability of the NFIP, Congressionally-mandated surcharges are required for all policyholders to offset the slow-down of the elimination of current subsidized rates. The surcharge is paid at the time of application or renewal each year until the subsidies are eliminated. The surcharge revenue will go into the NFIP Reserve Fund that is used to help cover the cost of future claims in a catastrophic event and may also be used to pay the program’s debt to the U.S. Treasury from previous catastrophic events.

Flood Fact:

If a policyholder does not submit documentation of residing in a primary residence within 30 days of notice, a higher annual surcharge will be added to their premium.

Pursuant to the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, and effective as of April 1, 2015, an annual premium surcharge of $25 is being assessed for primary residences, and $250 for non-primary and non-residential properties (regardless of whether they are paying subsidized or actuarial rates).

"For rating purposes, a primary residence means a building that will be lived in by the insured or the insured's spouse for more than 50% of the 365 calendar days following the current policy effective date or renewal date". There are exceptions for active-duty military personnel who have been deployed, policyholders who are displaced due to natural disaster, and those absent due to business travel, hospitalization, and/or extended vacation during the policy year.

To learn more about NFIP surcharges, primary/non-primary residences, and acceptable documentation for proof of primary residence, click here.