Flood Zones V: The BFE Strikes Back

The saga continues. Will the USDA be okay with a community determined base flood elevation (BFE)? The FEMA form allows for it, so why not? Essentially, the USDA loan is really the only one that works for us right now. The hope is that everything will go through without a problem, but to combat that, we are also going to submit a request for a LOMA (Letter of Map Amendment) from FEMA. I talked to people at FEMA today, wonderful chaps, and they gave me the lowdown. Essentially, because we have an elevation certificate with a community determined BFE that essentially states that the are is not prone to flooding (the three biggest flood events in the last 50 years did not flood this area), we can submit that with a special form that will allow FEMA to reassess the land and possibly remove the home from the flood zone. That would alleviate any problems and also save us a lot of money. The problem is that FEMA can take up to 60 days to respond. So, since the USDA loan can take 60 days to close, we are getting both processes started at the same time. That way, if an issue does arise with the USDA, we can assure that a LOMA is imminent.