Looking to sell your NJ home? Here's a change you may have to divulge in the new year
New Jersey will make it mandatory to divulge whether or not your property is prone to flooding on March 20th.
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Beginning on March 20, a change is coming to those looking to sell their home in New Jersey.
The state will make it mandatory to divulge whether or not your property is prone to flooding.
Changes are being made by the Department of Environmental Protection to the Seller Disclosure form. It’s an attempt to protect buyers from being surprised by future flooding their property.
This mean that whether it’s severe flooding from a hurricane or ponding from from heavy rain, homeowners will have to let buyers know.
The state Department of Environmental Protection says Climate Change will increase flooding in New Jersey over the next several years.
Specifically, the DEP says, “Flood risks in New Jersey are growing due to the effects of climate change.”
“Coastal and inland areas may experience significant flooding now and in the near future, including in places that were not previously known to flood," it added.
Main Street in Manasquan is an area where sellers would have to disclose their flood risk.
These homes may not sit right on the beach, but severe street flooding is something homeowners experience four to five times a month.
“It doesn’t just have to be heavy rain, also if it’s a full moon and high tide," says homeowner Kerry Carr about the flooding.
She’s used to seeing high water outside the family’s home along East Main Street.
It means she’s got to run out and move the minivan to high ground or actually carry her kids to the car to get to school.
“It’s not just your feet getting wet it’s your thighs. It was over my knees the last time I walked through it," she says.
Concerning the new protections for buyers Carr says, “I think that it’s fair and safe to give people a heads-up of just so you know it’s not just when a superstore Sandy comes that you get water it’s a full moon, when there’s rain.”
This applies to neighborhoods that regularly flood such as those in Wayne or Little Falls that took on water last week.
A long with those that simply have water pool around the property.
And it also applies to rental properties so that renters know the risk of flooding.
The Department of Environmental Protection has a tool to help those who are buying or renting.
The Flood Risk Notification tool allows you to plug in an address to see current flood conditions and projections of how high the sea level is expected to rise in the future.
Carr says that 25 years ago, her father-in-law asked town leaders about the flooding when he moved in.
When he asked if there’s anything they could do to help he was told that he should’ve known.
This change will take away any surprises for homebuyers.
