Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 1874875)

I don't know about Chitty Chatty, but I understand that some of the ponds in The Villages are interconnected by a piping system. The developer can control the water levels in the ponds by allowing water to flow from one pond to another and prevent flooding of the houses. They can also remove water from the ponds by using the irrigation system. You will often see the sprinklers running for long periods after a heavy rain.

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy (Post 1874889)

in rural florida, what's the difference between swamp land and farm land?

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about 3 feet of dirt

Originally Posted by cj1040 (Post 1874811)

No one disclosed to us when we selected a pond lot in Chitty Chatty that this could be an issue. After our planning meetings, payment of 20 % we spoke with the bank about a mortgage and were told that we would have to carry flood insurance which DOUBLES our home insurance cost. We are very angry about this. We could have chosen a different lot if we had known. We were told that in a couple of years the area may be resurveyed and that FEMA would send a letter if it is no longer classified this way. Then we have to fight with the mortgage company to have this requirement dismissed. As for now it states "for the life of the loan ". Watch out if you are purchasing a pond lot. Has anyone else had this experience?

Originally Posted by Dana1963 (Post 1874853)

Your real estate agent should have disclosed this to you.
Property Disclosure Statements: Duty to Reveal Hazards in Florida Must Be Disclosed to Home Buyers | About Florida Law

Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1874971)

I was impressed by the fact that most of The Villages did NOT have flooding during Hurricane Irma. All of the things put in place worked. They lowered the ponds by running the sprinklers in the common areas and they then deliberately allowed their own golf courses to flood to save people's homes. I thought it worked like a CHARM. I was even astonished the golf courses recovered after a month or two.

Originally Posted by blueash (Post 1874852)

Homeowner's insurance might not care as it doesn't cover flood issues. You get flood damage, not their problem. It doesn't look like being on a man made pond, AKA may or may not have water, is a flood risk factor. Being where the natural water table is at or near the surface, eg swampland, is a factor.

OP It is the law that The Villages was not required to tell you about the flood rating when you bought the property, but IMO they should have. But that's not how Florida works where the laws protect the developers much more than unwashed masses. Buyer beware.
Of course when you sell your home you also will be under no obligation to tell potential buyers they are buying a home that needs flood insurance to get a mortgage. Will you nonetheless tell them?

Originally Posted by cj1040 (Post 1875157)

We close Feb 12 and this situation just came about with the mortgage company last week. It takes away a lot of the joy in this whole process and we are looking at a total of 635K invested in this house with a pool. Actually I am very angry that the realtor never mentioned this when we were looking at lots. The lot was a ridiculous 159K and many were priced even higher. Just so angry that this was never disclosed or we would have chosen a different lot. I did not really even care about Chitty Chatty...just wanted a nice lot to build on and we had only July to make our selection due to other factors.