{"id":8715448,"date":"2023-01-13T04:00:17","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/?p=8715448&preview=true&preview_id=8715448"},"modified":"2023-01-13T04:14:48","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T12:14:48","slug":"dont-learn-the-hard-way-flooding-can-occur-anywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastbaytimes.com\/2023\/01\/13\/dont-learn-the-hard-way-flooding-can-occur-anywhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t learn the hard way \u2014 flooding can occur anywhere\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Q: With all the heavy rain, our backyard flooded. So now our crawl space has standing water, with the crawl space vents just above the backyard patio. Our backyard is flat until there\u2019s a 45-degree incline that reaches our neighbor\u2019s property. Bummer for us, it never dawned on us to buy flood insurance.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We purchased the home during the summer, and we\u2019ve since reviewed the home seller disclosures. There\u2019s no mention of ponding water or rainwater runoff issues from the properties above us. But now there\u2019s a bunch of storms coming our way, and we\u2019re midway through the rainy season. We called the remediation companies, but they can\u2019t accommodate us now, so tomorrow my father-in-law will set up a sump pump in the crawl space. Making matters harder, we\u2019re worrying about mold in the crawl space from all the flooding.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are first-time buyers, but we feel like we shouldn\u2019t be alone in dealing with these issues. Should we get the home sellers and the real estate agents involved?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A: Real estate attorneys remind us that failure to disclose cases, aka \u201cbad house cases,\u201d rotates around the concept that \u201cthe seller knew or should have known\u201d about an issue. For instance, the neighbor(s) above you could have landscaped over the summer and installed improper drainage, diverting any future excessive rainfall downhill to your backyard.<\/p>\n

Those remediation companies are busy working with properties that had water enter homes and businesses. In the meantime, do what you can to get water out of your crawl space and make appointments with remediation companies in the future. You\u2019ll just need to get on their waitlist(s).<\/p>\n

Ponding water under or adjacent to a house comes with expensive ramifications. You\u2019ll need foundation and drainage experts on-site as soon as possible. Another set of professionals could be a landscape architect and a landscaper. Work as a team with the neighbor(s) above, and you\u2019ll speed up eliminating your backyard and crawl space flooding. Your situation provides more proof that homeowners and business owners should investigate investing in flood insurance outside a designated flood zone.<\/p>\n

Regarding the real estate agents involved in your home sale, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has video training stating, \u201cSo when counseling buyers about flood insurance, remember that flooding can happen anywhere. Recommend that buyers do their own due diligence, but avoid telling buyers that flood insurance isn\u2019t required or advisable.\u201d Since flooding is considered a material fact in a real estate transaction, a real estate attorney is the last professional to consult.<\/p>\n

Questions, concerns or inquiries? Realtor Pat Kapowich is a Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager and career-long consumer protection advocate. His hometown of Sunnyvale, California, is where he is based. Office Landline: 408-245-7700, Pat@SiliconValleyBroker.com<\/a> Broker# 00979413 www.SiliconValleyBroker.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First-time homebuyers are coping with flooding despite the fact that there was no mention of ponding or runoff in the seller disclosures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":878,"featured_media":8715449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"subheadline":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[33621],"tags":[51666],"feature":[52249],"location":[],"type-of-work":[50059],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"33621","primary_tag":51666,"print_workflow_body":"","print_workflow_exported_ts":"","print_workflow_exported_username":"","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":"","really_short_title":"","short_title":"Sponsored: Don\u2019t 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