10/17/2025
Walking a fine line between a real estate PSA and a soap box with this one, but it is important so stick with me…
The “FloodFactor” score being displayed on many of the major real estate apps & sites like Zillow, Redfin, RealtorDotcom etc. IS NOT THE SAME THING AS FLOOD ZONES OR THE FEMA FLOOD MAP. It is a 1-10 score created and distributed by a 3rd party company and, although intended to be helpful, it can be incredibly misleading at times. It is also not something that the listing agent or firm has any say in or control over.
Example: In the just past few months two of my listings have had wildly misleading “FloodFactor” scores. One property was partially located in an actual flood zone yet given a 1/10 “Low FloodFactor” score. The other property sits up on a hill & nowhere near a major body of water, flood zone, or high-risk area yet it was given a 10/10 “Extreme FloodFactor” score.
Bottom Line: Don’t completely write off going to see a property that you love just because of a high “FloodFactor” score, and don’t assume that a property isn’t in a flood zone just because of a low “FloodFactor” score without asking your real estate agent to look into it further & get more info first — Check the GIS, pull the FEMA flood maps, property disclosures, etc. The results might be surprising, or they might not. Either way you’ll be able to make a more informed decision.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
