Buyer guides
What each item on a ZIP report's due diligence checklist means, which law or program sits behind it and how to act on it, with the primary sources linked.
Where each guide fits in a purchase
Before an offer: read the flood zone share and claims history on the ZIP report, then the seller's flood disclosure. In Florida the disclosure is a legal requirement, covered in the Florida disclosure guide, and Miami-Dade buyers should also check how the maps that take effect on February 19, 2027 treat the parcel.
During due diligence: ask the lender for its flood zone determination and whether insurance is mandatory, get insurance quotes against the ZIP's real policy costs, and ask for an Elevation Certificate. If the building stands above the base flood elevation, a Letter of Map Amendment can remove it from the high-risk zone. In hurricane country, a wind mitigation inspection documents features that earn premium discounts.
Commercial and investment purchases: where EPA lists Superfund, brownfield or other program sites nearby, a Phase I environmental site assessment is how a buyer qualifies for the Superfund landowner liability protections. Sea level rise and aviation noise matter more the longer you plan to hold the property.
Flood insurance requirements: when federal law makes it mandatory
Flood insurance requirements: when federal law makes coverage mandatory, how much lenders require, private policies, the 30-day wait and force-placement.
Updated October 22, 2026Flood insurance cost: how NFIP premiums are set, with Miami-Dade figures
Flood insurance cost under Risk Rating 2.0: what drives NFIP premiums, the 18% cap, fees and CRS discounts, plus real median policy costs by Miami-Dade ZIP.
Updated October 22, 2026Elevation Certificate: what it records and when you need one
Elevation Certificate guide: what FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152 records, who completes it, when it is required or optional, its OMB status and where to find one.
Updated October 22, 2026LOMA: removing a building from the flood zone
LOMA guide: how a Letter of Map Amendment removes a building from FEMA's high-risk flood zone, LOMA vs LOMR-F and LOMR, evidence, timing and the 2027 maps.
Updated October 22, 2026Phase I environmental site assessment: what it is and when you need one
What a Phase I environmental site assessment covers, the ASTM E1527-21 and EPA AAI rules, the 180-day and 1-year deadlines, and when a homebuyer needs one.
Updated October 22, 2026Superfund sites near homes: what NPL status means
How a site gets on the Superfund National Priorities List, what proposed, final, construction complete and deleted mean, and what living nearby tells you.
Updated October 22, 2026Sea level rise and property: reading the projections and maps
What the 2022 federal sea level rise projections say, what NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer shows, Virginia Key figures in feet, and how FEMA flood zones differ.
Updated October 22, 2026Airport noise and property: DNL, noise maps and buyer rights
How airport noise is measured (DNL and the 65 dB Part 150 threshold), what the national noise map shows, and how noise maps limit later damage claims.
Updated October 22, 2026Florida flood disclosure law: what sellers and landlords must tell you
Florida flood disclosure law explained: the Fla. Stat. 689.302 seller form, the 2025 landlord notice, what "flooding" means and how buyers can check records.
Updated October 22, 2026Miami-Dade's new flood maps take effect February 19, 2027
Miami-Dade's new FEMA flood maps take effect February 19, 2027: what the final notice says, what changes for lenders and insurance, and what buyers should check
Updated October 22, 2026Hurricane wind mitigation in Florida: inspections and premium discounts
Hurricane wind mitigation in Florida: the discounts insurers must offer, the OIR-B1-1802 form and who may sign it, My Safe Florida Home, hurricane deductibles.
Updated October 22, 2026