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Name:	lotowner -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	11/30/2009 12:34:15 PM

Can anyone on the forum suggest a surveying source for a certificate of elevation and how much the cost will be?

Thanks

Name:	Seal Team -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	11/30/2009 4:08:12 PM

We used Conn Surveyors last year and it cost $300.

Name:	lotowner -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	11/30/2009 4:29:55 PM

Thanks

Do you have a telephone number?

Name:	Seal Team -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	11/30/2009 4:31:55 PM

202 1st ave se Cullman, AL 35055 - (256) 734-2058

Name:	lotowner -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	11/30/2009 6:02:23 PM

Thanks

Name:	MartynMart -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	12/1/2009 4:35:57 PM

I was referred to Hunt Surveying in Jasper. They charge $600. Wish I had seen the Cullman outfit before I committed. Hunt Surveying did say they would file the LOMA for me. I have seen some mis-information on the forum regarding the flood insurance premiums. First, once you are advised by your mortgage company that they have been notified that you are in a Special Flood Hazard Area, taking flood insurance is not a matter of choice. If you don't take the insurance within the prescribed time (normally 45 days), the mortgage company will take flood insurance for you and take the premium out of your escrow account. The good news is that if you are successful with the LOMA proces, and the mortgage company agrees to waive the flood insurance requirement (most do), you can provide your insurance carrier with a copy of the LOMA and the waiver from the mortgage company and receive a 100% reimbursement of your flood insurance premiums. There is no charge for filing a LOMA but it is not an easy process and does require an Elevation Certificate signed by a surveyor. Unfortunately, there is no compensation for all the aggravation and expense you have to go through to get this resolved. FEMA made an arbitray decision based on generalities and Alabama Power Company does not agree with the FEMA determination. If anyone decides to initiate a class action suit against FEMA to recoup the unnecessary expense and aggravation FEMA has put us through, please let me know.

Name:	southerncomfort -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	12/3/2009 11:48:19 PM

Ours was 450, have 1.7 acres through Hunt. Have submitted it for LOMA. Word of note, make sure surveyor uses new flood maps dated 8/19/09. Old maps still show us in zone X, new ones say we are now in A.

Name:	southerncomfort -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	12/3/2009 11:58:15 PM

We are going through the same thing. Hunt completed our survey, filed the Loma, however they used the old flood maps instead of the new ones. Our insurance company couldn't write us a policy on the old classification (zonex) so they are amending it to reflect new flood map designation (zone A) rate quoted to us was $350 for X, now it has jumped to $1250 for zone A. And as you said you don't have a choice, any federally backed mortgage will require you to obtain it at the new flood map zones rates. If you don't get it they will obtain it for you and believe it, it will be at the highest rate. So you have to go through all the aggravation, time, money for something that is fiction anyway-- we are 25 feet above the flood line (524)! Rediculous! We have contacted several attorneys -- so far none have replied. Many, I don't believe know how many people are affected by this. Most of them that have homes around the lake probably don't have a mortgage anyway so aren't that concerned about it. You can count us in if we all can pull this thing together

Name:	No Cat -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	12/9/2009 12:55:20 PM

I'm the last person to defend either FEMA or the banks but I do think there is some confusion hereon. I have noticed that FEMA has posted new flood maps as noted by others hereon. However, when I was investigating the purchase of a home in 2007 and was using the old maps and other info on FEMA's site, I noted the following at that time:

1. Essentially all lake front property was defaulted to Zone A. I didn't bother to look at non-lake-front property but if your lot was on the lake, I'm willing to bet that it was Zone A unless you had specifically requested and obtained a letter amendment (LOMA) that effectively rezoned your specific parcel
2. Previously-filed LOMA's (which are publicly viewable at FEMA's site) referenced the 524 mark as the 100-year mark - not the 522 elevation of the spillway
3. Appraisal forms were changed in recent years and the new forms had a box asking for flood zone. I've seen appraisals completed for Smith Lake property where the appraiser ignorantly indicated Zone X even though the property was really Zone A. I would not rely on an appraisal to tell you what you property is zoned for.

Long story short, I don't think that FEMA has changed the rules for lake-front property owners on Smith Lake. If anything, your bank has finally woken up and started to enforce what should have been enforced previously. (Gee, I wonder if the recent real estate crash and resulting loan losses had anything to do with this sudden trend?)

There are two type of surveys. With a normal survey (several hundred dollars), the surveyor should mark the 524 line on your property. That document alone may be enough to convince your carrier that your structure is above the 524 mark and thus assign a lower risk premium for the flood policy. However, if your structure is above the 524 mark and you want to eliminate flood insurance altogether, you need to get a LOMA which will require the more costly elevation certificate and letter filing. Even if the LOMA is approved, that approval only means that the bank is not federally mandated to require flood insurance. As stated on the form itself, your specific bank has the discretion to still require a policy (in that case you might want to refinance).

If some part of your structure is below 524, I don't think you'll get the LOMA approved. In that case, find an agent that works with flood carriers regularly and investigate appropriate solutions (flood vents, retaining walls, etc.) that can reduce your premium to a manageable amount (for both you and a future buyer).

Go to FEMA's site and look at the new maps. Takes a while to figure out the navigation, but you can eventually look at quandrants near your property and see previously-filed (both approved and rejected) LOMA's nearby. These actual LOMA's are quite informative.

Again, I'm not defending banks and I'm not defending FEMA. I simply had spent alot of time learning about this issue in 2007 when trying to get comfortable with a potential house.

Good luck

Name:	MartynMart -	Reply
Subject:	Cert. of Elev.
Date:	12/22/2009 9:11:54 AM

I don't fault the bank at all for any of this. If I were holding a mortagage on a piece of property and I became aware that FEMA had classified the property in Flood Zone A (the highest risk category for flooding), I too would require flood insurace. FEMA created this aggravating situation by poor implementation of the new flood zone classification.

When I purchased my property, the only restriction on construction was the Alabama Power 522 rule. For FEMA to classify all of Smith Lake as Zone A without prior notification to property owners, was not right. Had FEMA provided notification ahead of time, that is before the new rule became effective, property owners with dwellings above the 524 line could have applied for a LOMA before the 524 rule was implemented and avoided having to take out flood insurance until the issue was resolved. The cost of an Elevation Certificate may still have been necessary but not the interim flood insurance.

The Lowest Adjacent Grade of my property is well above the 524 line so I expect my LOMA to be approved and my mortgage company has indcated that they will waive the requirement for flood insurance once the LOMA is approved. So, I expect to get a 100% refund of my flood insurance premium...eventually. It just would have been nice to have advance notice from FEMA so I could have minimized the aggravation. The net effect is that I have had to shuck out hundreds of $s to prove that FEMA mis-classified my property. This is a case of "Guilty until proven innoncent!"

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