I know, I know, but it's not really in the flood plain and well carry insurance...

It's a one story house, on one acre in Cypress, built in 1980. Current tax appraisal is $240K but I am 95% sure it won't appraise that much from a realtor. The roof is 18 years old, it needs: a new septic spray system, updates to master bed, master bath, and kitchen, and probably a new A/C in the next 5 years.

It's about 2000 sqft, 3 bed, 2 bath... also, previous owners were smokers, but has t been smoked in in 11 years (there is still a slight hint of the smell, but I think it's because of old furniture and fixtures (paneling, cabinets, wall paper, etc, that could be replaced easily)....

Assuming $240k for a reasonable house, what should I expect this house appraise under that due to the issues listed above (flooding, septic, roof, ac, smokers, etc.)

Run. Fast. Should appraise for lot value less cost to tear down and less cost to add fill above flood line.
Would never take that risk.

Trust me if it flooded, it's in the flood plain. There are plenty of ways for developers to show a house to not be in a flood plain when in reality it is.

Just because a property/home is not in the mapped floodplain, doesn't mean its not in high risk of flooding.
And clearly, if the the home already flooded, it is probably in risk to flood again.

Don't rely only on the FEMA maps, especially if the effective map is more than 5-10 years old

If it only flooded during Harvey i wouldn't expect a huge impact on market value. If it has flooded multiple times then that's a different story.

Appraisal district values can be challenging when looking at "property" as the land aspect can be difficult to account for. Typically the house is the vast majority of the appraisal number even in areas where the dirt is worth more than the structure.

03_Aggie said:

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If it only flooded during Harvey i wouldn't expect a huge impact on market value. If it has flooded multiple times then that's a different story.

Appraisal district values can be challenging when looking at "property" as the land aspect can be difficult to account for. Typically the house is the vast majority of the appraisal number even in areas where the dirt is worth more than the structure.

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As a certified floodplain manager and a professional engineer who deals extensively with flood data, this is the best advise in the thread. Just because it flooded in Harvey doesn't mean it's high-risk. Sure, it'll flood every single time we get 50 inches of rain in a day - but that's only happened once in recorded history.

Can you post the exact address? I'll comment on the adjacent potential flooding sources.

Ornlu = Physics Clown of flooding

SpreadsheetAg said:

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I know, I know, but it's not really in the flood plain and well carry insurance...

It's a one story house, on one acre in Cypress, built in 1980. Current tax appraisal is $240K but I am 95% sure it won't appraise that much from a realtor. The roof is 18 years old, it needs: a new septic spray system, updates to master bed, master bath, and kitchen, and probably a new A/C in the next 5 years.

It's about 2000 sqft, 3 bed, 2 bath... also, previous owners were smokers, but has t been smoked in in 11 years (there is still a slight hint of the smell, but I think it's because of old furniture and fixtures (paneling, cabinets, wall paper, etc, that could be replaced easily)....

Assuming $240k for a reasonable house, what should I expect this house appraise under that due to the issues listed above (flooding, septic, roof, ac, smokers, etc.)

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It looks like you're about to dump 100K into just getting the house you want. Is this location just stellar and have the neighbors started to do the same?

Recent sales in this area are at $150-165 sqft.

It flooded twice... 1" in the House during tax day flood in 2016 (Owners pulled baseboards, bleached, anti mold, dehumdified, and blew dry, tore up old carpet and replaced with new); 1/4 inch (wet puddles, causing carpet replacement) during Harvey; same remedy, new carpet. Never before.

Ornlu said:

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03_Aggie said:

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If it only flooded during Harvey i wouldn't expect a huge impact on market value. If it has flooded multiple times then that's a different story.

Appraisal district values can be challenging when looking at "property" as the land aspect can be difficult to account for. Typically the house is the vast majority of the appraisal number even in areas where the dirt is worth more than the structure.

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As a certified floodplain manager and a professional engineer who deals extensively with flood data, this is the best advise in the thread. Just because it flooded in Harvey doesn't mean it's high-risk. Sure, it'll flood every single time we get 50 inches of rain in a day - but that's only happened once in recorded history.

Can you post the exact address? I'll comment on the adjacent potential flooding sources.

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I'd PM you... but you don't have stars

What did the surrounding houses do when it flooded the last 2 times ? If they didn't it leads me to believe this house either sits in a hole or the builder didn't pour the slab at the correct elevation to try and cut corners. If I were you I would talk to all the neighbors and find out more history.

I just added my Email address to my profile.

Be sure that you can install an aerobic septic system in accordance with county restrictions.

When that house wa originally built it wasn't a problem to spray on your neighbors property or close to your house, now installers may have to abide by the county regulations and you might have to go with a sump or leech field.

Ornlu said:

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I just added my Email address to my profile.

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Email sent, in case you want to remove from your profile

JP76 said:

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What did the surrounding houses do when it flooded the last 2 times ? If they didn't it leads me to believe this house either sits in a hole or the builder didn't pour the slab at the correct elevation to try and cut corners. If I were you I would talk to all the neighbors and find out more history.

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His street (only his side of the street) mostly flooded and everything toward the back of the neighborhood toward Little Cypress Creek.

His neighbors across the street did not flood.

His house and most sphiuses in the hood were built in the early 80s. However, newer neighborhoods have been built around this one since 2003. When it used to rain in that neighborhood the adjacent pastures collected most of the standing water, however, since the new development raised those neighborhoods... his neighborhood is relatively lower than the surrounding (for now).

House is in this general vicinity.



The most obvious flooding source is Little Cypress Creek. It's several thousand feet from the creek, but the 500-yr floodplain has a protrusion that juts out to within 3 or 4 lots of the subject tract. I can tell you from experience, the FEMA maps for the area are really pretty good.

Diving a little deeper, [url=https://msc.fema.gov/portal/downloadProduct?filepath=/48/P/Firm/48201C0220L.tif&productTypeID=FINAL_PRODUCT&productSubTypeID=FIRM_PANEL&productID=48201C0220L]Here is the FEMA map.[/url]

The Base Flood Elevation (100-yr flood elevation) is around 154.5 feet. There are two nearby streamgages:
L100_1220 Little Cypress Creek @ Cypress Rosehill Road
L100_1210 Little Cypress Creek @ Kluge Road
Interpolating between those two gauges, I think that the flood elevation for the subject tract is around 156.1 for the tax day floods and that Harvey was around 156.4. If the home's finished floor elevation is around 156.00, this matches with your flood claims. I think this also confirms that Little Cypress Creek is the source of the flooding.

Little Cypress comes up quick & hard, then receeds over a day or two. Here's the stream elevations for the tax day floods.



Looking back at other historic floods (Allison, 2012, Ike) - these flood elevations are a tad higher but not by much. While the recent floods are historically & statistically unlikely to repeat in the near future, it's certainly not impossible for the subject tract to flood again.

Other potential sources of flooding (instead of Little Cypress Creek) are drainage around the house itself, and street drainage overflowing onto the lot. However, looking at the streetview & hi-res LiDAR, I don't think these are the real problem. The roadside ditches look well maintained and have a slope that's steeper than is typical for the area. The subject tract has clear drainage around the house.

The only real way to mitigate the flood risk to this property is to raise the finished floor elevation. While this is possible, it's expensive - usually in the $110-120 per square foot range. I don't think I'd call the property "Flood prone" any more than other properties in the greater Houston area - but if I owned it I'd definitely carry flood insurance. Since you're out of the flood plain ("special flood hazard area"), it's cheap.

I don't know enough to say what the house would appraise for, but I can say that there's nothing about the subject tract's flood proneness that should affect the appraisal.

Oh, by the way, since your email asked about public projects to help you: \

The Zube Park regional detention basin was designed to help you. It was completed in late 2016, and has an expansion pending. https://www.hcfcd.org/projects-studies/little-cypress-creek/zube-park-stormwater-detention-basin-l500-01-00/b HCFCD will be deepening this basin soon too.

There's a litany of other projects planned for this watershed. Here's the PDF of a tech conference presentation on this creek. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.tfma.org/resource/resmgr/17_Spring_Pres/TA6_Watershed_Level_Planning.pdf
Schiel Basin (proposed here https://goo.gl/maps/UeC4AuzZ1C42 ) will provide 4,000+ acre feet of detention that will directly benefit you.

Thanks, excellent analysis, it helps a lot actually.

Run away from Cypress. Those creeks are cursed. It will happen again.

Run as fast as you can away from the deal. Unless you like headaches. I promise you it will flood again and flood insurance will do nothing but disappoint you. You will have hell if you ever want to sell the property.

rancher1953 said:

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Run as fast as you can away from the deal. Unless you like headaches. I promise you it will flood again and flood insurance will do nothing but disappoint you. You will have hell if you ever want to sell the property.

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Did you not read the thread, or do you just enjoy spreading over-alarmist bad advice based on no facts at all?

Perhaps Rancher1953 has had a real life experience dealing with a flooded house. This experience is hard for some to comprehend... Many our our older Houston area neighborhoods have had their drainage compromised by new development and infrastructure in the area. Flood plains are often changed.

The existing LiDAR data is a decade old and was just reflown. FEMA will be revising all the flood plain maps over the next several years. This house will probably be pulled into an expanded 500yr flood zone.

Just know it carries a bit more risk and buy insurance. It's $450/year if outside the 100yr. If replacing flooring maybe go with more tile than wood or carpet. Plan ahead.

Thanks all, it's not an easy decision by any means, because I am reducing my current SQFT by 1/3rd, but getting a much larger yard (1/4 acre to 1 acre) - which is what we want; and we are ALOT closer to family and for my 2 little girls this makes alot of sense since I travel about 20% of the time.

Side note: This was another family members house who passed away, so I know how well it's been maintained, and just about every little nook and cranny of the house already, along with it's entire 38 year history (my family already lives in 6 other houses in the same neighborhood - aunts/uncles, cousins, etc.)

The big goal here (from a financial perspective) is that I have a chance to eliminate my mortgage in my late 30s; and that will set me up to improve on my disposable income for my girls, my future foster kids, my retirement savings, and their college savings... I know its a little higher risk than where I am at, but I think with the right type of insurance(s) and with the proximity of family we will be setup really well.

If you're that serious about this place and want some extra peace of mind about flooding- looking into buying a water filled inflatable dam. With a small home on one acre, looks like it wouldn't be that expensive.

http://aquadamgulfcoast.com

one MEEN Ag said:

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If you're that serious about this place and want some extra peace of mind about flooding- looking into buying a water filled inflatable dam. With a small home on one acre, looks like it wouldn't be that expensive.

http://aquadamgulfcoast.com

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Already planning on it

Can you please post the map just south of this one?

The Barker and spring cypress intersection flooded during Harvey.

You can search by address, here: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

Thank you.

Will retire somewhere in the Tomball, The Woodlands, Conroe, Mongomery, etc. areas. This seems to be the most daunting thing about looking at real estate in these areas.