Has Flood Zone Remapping Reduced The Value Of Your Property?

The flood zone designation in which your property has been placed is one of the most important factors influencing its value. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's 2013 nationwide revision of flood maps, which raised the Base Flood Elevation by an additional two or more feet, has had a significant adverse effect on property values all over the country.

If remapping now shows your property in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), a property assessment will almost certainly show a reduction in value. An SFHA designation also means you may have to purchase costly flood insurance; properties with federally insured mortgages or equity lines are required by law to have FEMA-provided insurance, which can cost up to $4,000 or more per year. In fact in many cases the cost of mandated flood insurance is actually greater than the amount of local real estate tax on the property.

In addition, if the town or city in which your property is located is participating in FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, you will be subject to laws and ordinances that may curtail or prevent any major construction or improvements to your property.

If you believe your property has been incorrectly remapped into an SFHA designation, your only option for relief is to submit a Letter Of Map Amendment, or LOMA, to FEMA. A LOMA reestablishes a property’s location and elevation on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, and a successful LOMA can not only restore your property's value, it can result in recouping the cost of insurance that your paid while your property was incorrectly designated as being in an SFHA.

The LOMA process starts with submitting an application that includes the property's Elevation Certificate (EC) along with the deed to your property and a property map. LOMA application is a complex procedure that can be overwhelming for a property owner, but help is available through qualified remapping assistance firms like Flood Zone Mitigations. Working with an experienced remapping specialist firm is a major step toward a successful LOMA, minimizing the potential for errors and omissions that could have negative consequences; the firm will review your EC, deed, property map, and site information, prepare and submit your LOMA, and can even help you recover insurance premiums paid while your property was incorrectly mapped.

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Where to Buy a Quality Pump

Pumps are devices that are incredibly useful. They impact human lives in so many ways. They are used in a wide range of industries. Pumps also have many uses around a home. It is not until they stop working that people stop to consider how important pumps are to their way of life. Do you need to buy a new pump for your home or business? There are numerous places where you could choose to do your shopping. How can you tell the good pump manufacturers from the bad ones? Here are some tips that will help you when you are trying to figure out where to buy a quality pump. 

1. Standard of service

When a company has a very high standard of service, it basically means that they will do everything they can to keep their customers satisfied. This is a rare thing in the day and age we are currently living in. However, companies that fit this description still exist in this world. It just takes a little longer to find them than it used to. You want to deal with a reputable and friendly company when you purchase your pump. Anything less than that is unacceptable. 

2. Selection is king

Ideally, you should avoid pump retailers that do not have a large selection in stock. You don't want to be forced to do your shopping at multiple stores to find exactly what you need. Therefore, seek out pump stores that have an enormous inventory that you can browse. Master Pumps & Power has more than 8,000 pumps in stock. They are a great place to buy bilge pumps and many other varieties of pumps. You can learn more about this company by visiting http://www.masterpumps.com/product-line-offerings/. 

3. Prices and shipping

Pumps can be quite costly. Of course, this all depends on what type of pump you are going to buy. You owe it to yourself to spend some of your time looking at many different pump stores online. Check the prices that are offered to see if you can find some amazing deals out there. You have nothing to lose if you do this. There are some very important things to remember when it comes to the cost of shipping your pump to you. Do not allow yourself to be overcharged for shipping. Make sure that the shipping fee is fair for the method the store is going to use.

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Three Ways to Maintain Your Weight This Holiday Season

The holidays are the toughest time when it comes to maintaining the great figure you worked for all summer.

Cut Down on Empty Calories

The fastest way to bloat up and put on pounds during the holidays is by overdoing it on the empty calories. Empty calories are calories that you don't really need to stay full and are often things that you don't even notice. Examples of these types of calories include overloading on the condiments (think sauces and gravy, for example), drinking sugary drinks and juices, and snacking on all of those leftovers. By being aware of these calories, you can make a conscious effort not to eat them or to substitute high-calorie items for better options. When making your holiday cocktail, try substituting calorie-filled mixers with low carb alcoholic mixers as an alternative. Vling is one example of a mixer which is both low in carbs and calories, helping you to stay hydrated and maintain your weight at all of your holiday parties.

Drink Lots of Water

Have a dedicated water bottle on hand from Halloween through Christmas. Be sure to keep filling it up and drink throughout the day. This habit will help you to stay hydrated, ensuring that you eat and bloat less from all of the salt and sugar-filled holiday treats. Drinking a lot of water while eating is also a great way to stay full and overeat less. Not only will staying hydrated help to maintain your weight, but it will keep your skin looking great throughout the holidays.

Don't Forget to Keep Moving

One of the worst things that you can do for your health during the holiday season is to get lazy about exercise. Not only will staying physically active help to reduce holiday weight gain, but it will help reduce the stress that comes along with this crazy time of year. As you get busier and busier, you may not have time to get your regular workouts in, so you may have to get creative. Take a few extra laps around the mall when you are doing your holiday shopping or make a commitment to wake up 30 minutes earlier each day to do a quick workout video. Also, try to take a walk after big meals. This will help with digestion and help fight off the feeling of exhaustion that comes after eating.

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Organizers for the Kitchen

It’s fun arranging and setting up furniture in the house especially during weekends when everyone is there to suggest their ideas. Even my kids have their own creative ideas on how to make our house more beautiful and their fresh concepts seem to adapt to our half-renovated living and dining room. After my daughter’s debut we didn’t changed much of our home design because we love the carefree and spacious design we did in her birthday celebration. With the baby yellow paint all over the walls of our house our home suddenly becomes so bright, happy-looking and cheerful. 

Now we’re thinking of putting some perky ideas on the kitchen with the thought of adding up cupboards and built-in cabinets to control the messy small items. I’ve consulted my brother and suggested that I get some inputs from the drawer slide guide here so I can choose what type I want for my kitchen. Well upon seeing those nicely-customized slide drawers I finally plotted my renovation plan on our kitchen.

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