"Shannon, I DO NOT want to look at any homes that are located in a flood zone!!"  Boy, if I had a dollar for every-time a buyer uttered those words to me......

 The truth is; every piece of real estate located in the U.S. is in a flood zone.  The question is which one is your new home in the Baton Rouge area located in?

In the Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana area, the most common flood zone classifications are:

• FEMA Flood Zone A-  Zone A is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the 100-year floodplains. Mandantory insurance purchase requirements apply.  This is the flood zone that DOES require flood insurance
• FEMA Flood Zone B-  Zone B is the flood zone that is considered to be of moderate risk.  This flood zone MAY require flood insurance.
• FEMA Flood Zones X or C- Zones X or C or the zones that are considered low risk and correspond to areas outside the 100-year floodplains.  These zones DO NOT require flood insurance.

So when purchasing your next home in Baton Rouge Louisiana ask not; "Is this home located in the flood zone?"  Instead ask; "Which flood zone is this home located in?" 

Be sure to read my next post concerning flood insurance rates and how to tell if you are paying to much!