Look to see if your property is in a flood zone by going the the map service center at FEMA's website. Twenty five percent of flood claims happen to properties that are outside of a flood zone, so if you're near one, it may be prudent to get coverage. I check the map center first to see if a potential deal is in a zone and which one. If it is, I don't necessarily rule the property out, but it if it's a thin deal I pass.
It's definitely something to be concerned about. Flooding especially. There are low areas of Jax that tend to flood often. I would suggest talking to your realtor or getting in touch with a local insurance agent.
Look to see if your property is in a flood zone by going the the map service center at FEMA's website. Twenty five percent of flood claims happen to properties that are outside of a flood zone, so if you're near one, it may be prudent to get coverage. I check the map center first to see if a potential deal is in a zone and which one. If it is, I don't necessarily rule the property out, but it if it's a thin deal I pass.
Florida is the same as any other coastal state. There are areas that flood and could be hit with hurricanes. Regrettably, everywhere has natural disasters, earthquake, wild fire, flood, hurricane, snow collapse. Floods are also common in areas with rivers, which every state has.
It is just part of the risk you are prepared to take on. Do you research and plan accordingly.
Just a heads up, there are a lot of older homes in the area with slab/foundation issues that may not necessarily be in a flood area but due to settling among others issues they can get constant water damage if they don't have a system set in place to prevent it. I've seen a lot of siding/structural/appliance damage from homes like this in Jax that are even far away from flood zones.
Not to scare/worry you but due diligence is required...
Jacksonville has seen some historic flooding over the last few years and while many areas you'll have nothing to worry about, there are many water ways that branch off of the St Johns River. Many of those snake into inland areas that you'd have no idea would be effected by rising waters but do fall into flood prone areas. As Clint stated above, the FEMA website will provide a lot of information to help educate yourself on areas within the flood zone or flood plains.
You can also check out the city maps, click on the layers tab, scroll down to land base and when you're zoomed in enough on the map the tab for contours will pop up. That will give you a good indication of the topographical layout of the area so you can see how water should drain in relation to the property. This link should bring you there... http://maps.coj.net/DuvalProperty/