Flood protection features to highlight in a home.
Flooding is a concern throughout almost all of the Hampton Roads area. There are some things, however, that can be highlighted as a feature of home that can help attract more buyers in a flood-prone area.
Reduce Risk
This article from NAR has some great suggestions for things that can be added in a home to mitigate flood risk. First and foremost among their suggestions is to purchase flood insurance. Even in areas where it is not required, it is a good idea to carry it, because most standard homeowner’s policies don’t extend to flood damage.
Among their other suggestions are a sump pump with a battery backup. These pumps will help to remove any water accumulating in the basement or crawl space of a home, and having one with a battery backup will make sure that it continues to run even if the power goes out.
NAR also suggests placing flood sensors throughout the home. These sensors, when placed in a basement or other low-lying areas of the home, can alert a homeowner that there is a problem. Knowing that flooding is taking place early can allow a homeowner to take action to either stop the flooding or to minimize damage that it may cause.
Highlight Features
In an area where basically everyone is at risk for occasional flooding, it is possible to point out flooding mitigation features as a selling feature in a listing. Using high-quality listing photos, walkthrough video, aerial photos, and virtual tours to showcase things like a new sump pump or flood sensors (in addition to listing them in the property description) can attract buyers who are savvy to the fact that these features will reduce the risk of damage to the home.
