Elevation Certificate in Bergen County, NJ

Are you looking for an Elevation Certificate in Bergen County NJ? Omland & Osterkorn is an experienced and accomplished engineering firm that can provide you with an Elevation Certificate in Bergen County NJ.

What is an elevation certificate?

At its simplest, the elevation certificate is a document that measures the level of susceptibility that your property has to flood damage. If you’re looking to get flood insurance and the insurance company is about to calculate your premium, them the elevation certificate is one of the most important documents that will be required.
The elevation certificate helps with calculating insurance premiums by estimating the likelihood that rising floods will get to the lowest floor of your home. The certificate is issued by the NFIP; a federal flood insurance program that falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).

Basically, the elevation certificate will include the following information about your home:

1. Your location and the flood zone: There are different flood zones in America, and the elevation certificate shows both where the property is situated and the appropriate flood zone

2. The characteristics of the building: If you want to get an elevation certificate in NJ, there’s a significant chance that issuers will come to your property to note some important features of the property. Attached garages, etc. usually fall under this category

3. The lowest floor elevation: The lowest floor of your property is usually the one that is most prone to flooding. Depending on the type of property you have, it could be your basement or your garage, and you’ll need to get a professional surveyor to easily assess the elevation of your home based on guidelines that have bene put forth by FEMA.

The most important feature of the elevation certificate in NJ, especially when it comes to affecting your insurance premium, will have to be the lowest floor elevation. The elevation of your property will be compared to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for your location, which is the elevation level that the NFIP estimates will have a 1 percent chance of getting hit by flood waters in a single year.

The higher your lowest floor is from the BFE, the lower the risk your home has of being considered as being susceptible for flood damage. Thus, your insurance premium will be lower as well.

Is the elevation certificate required for purchasing flood insurance?

As we’ve established, the elevation certificate is an important document that shows critical information about your property. However, you’ll only be required to provide it to your insurer is your flood insurance and property meet the following requirements:

1. Your property purchase has been financed by a mortgage from a federal lender

2. You live in a Special Flood Hazard Area, which FEMA has defined as places being at a higher risk of flooding

3. You want to purchase a flood insurance policy backed by the NFIP.

For the third option, you should know that a lot of private insurance firms offer flood insurance cover in their name, but they are mostly backed by the government.

However, if any of the conditions don’t apply to you, then you don’t need to get an elevation certificate in NJ. If they do, then you’ll need one to calculate your premium before you get the flood insurance.

For more information about elevation certificates in Bergen County NJ, speak to one of our engineers at 973-647-7820.

Omland & Osterkorn – Your Trusted Elevation Certificate Surveyors in Bergen County NJ.

Property Surveys in Bergen County NJ

Are you looking for property surveyors in Bergen County NJ? Omland & Osterkorn is an engineering and surveying firm staffed by expert title surveyors, boundary surveyors, topographic surveyors and property surveyors in Bergen County NJ.

When you are making a huge investment in something as big as purchasing land for your home or office, there are many steps that need to be performed before finalizing the purchase. You need to practice caution and complete all those pre-purchase steps or else it can result in something disastrous.

So what is that first thing that you need to do when you find a property that is on sales and which seems appealing to you? Do you just purchase it? Wrong. Instead, what you do is to conduct a property survey. This essentially means that you analyze the property that you want to buy, calculate the pros and cons of making that purchase and on that basis you make your final decision. Come, let’s discuss this step and its significance in a little more detail.

What is a property survey?

A property survey can be done at any time, however, people are most likely to get one when they are about to buy a land or are going to begin construction. If you are buying a property on a loaned sum then most mortgage companies require a property survey to be conducted in order to ensure that the property that is being purchased by their loaned sum is worth the money. However, not all mortgage companies demand a property survey.

What is done in a property survey?

A property surveyor starts by researching the land that is being purchased. For this, the history of the deed is studied and a title search is conducted.

After that, legal research is carried out to ensure that there are no legal issues related to the property. In the next step, the surveyor physically heads out to the land and sketches the land its boundaries and other elements that make up the property. This is called as the fieldwork.

Next, the surveyor prepares a map and a written description of your property. This narrates the street address, the location of buildings, and any improvements that the house can use.

A property survey also includes right-of-ways and easements. This essentially details suggestions as to what can be done about that shared yard or driveway, or if your neighbor has the right way to street or alleyway between your house.

How to conduct a property survey?

At Omland and Osterkorn, we provide residential, commercial and municipal engineering services to our clients. So if you are interested in a property and want to do its property survey then contact us, and we will get the job done for you!

To schedule a property survey in Bergen County NJ, speak to one of our surveyors at 973-647-7820.

Omland & Osterkorn – Your Trusted property surveyors in Bergen County NJ.

Flood Elevation Certificate in NJ

Are you looking for an Elevation Certificate in Bergen County NJ? Omland & Osterkorn is an experienced and accomplished engineering firm that can provide you with an Elevation Certificate in Bergen County NJ.

When you are building your dream house, you do not wish to take any risks that would mean something ill for your dream project. You hope for your house to stand there for the decades to come which is exactly why you spend so much of your time, energy and money into constructing it. But no matter what you wish there is always a chance of a natural calamity like flood hitting your locality and damaging your property. That is why it is a safe measure to take all the precautions like getting a flood elevation certificate when you are investing in a building.

What is a flood elevation certificate and why do you need one?

The flood elevation certificate calculates the risk of your house being damaged in a flood. For this, it uses the base flood elevation level and compares it to your lower story elevation. And on this basis, your risk is calculated.

Getting a flood elevation certificate is a wise idea because you will need it for purchasing insurance. Also, on the basis of your flood elevation certificate, your premium amount is determined. The lower your risk, the less will be your premium amount.

What if my property is not at flood risk?

If that is the case then you are still going to need the flood elevation certificate to prove that.

Should I get one?

It is always a good idea to get an elevation certificate even in cases when you don’t require one. This is because the flood elevation certificate usually contains important information about your property and hence can lower your premium. Studies have found that over a span of 10 years this saved premium amount can add up to $90,000!

How can I get one?

Now if you are located in NJ, then in order to get a flood elevation certificate all you need to do is to contact us. After that, we will work out a schedule when you are free and we will send you a skilled land surveyor to carry out the important steps that need to be completed in order to get the certificate in a quick and affordable manner!

For more information about elevation certificates in Bergen County NJ, speak to one of our engineers at 973-647-7820.

Omland & Osterkorn – Your Trusted Elevation Certificate Surveyors in Bergen County NJ.

Elevation Certificate NJ

Are you looking for an Elevation Certificate in Bergen County NJ?

A home is a dream of every man. Each one of us dreams of living in a place that resembles us, our journey and our stories. And so it can be said that the idea of a home is unique to every individual. And this is probably why each one of us invests a bucket load of our time and emotions in building one that fits our idea of a house.

Now building a home is a big deal and it consists of many steps. And this is right where our engineering firm comes into the picture. At Omland and Osterkorn, Inc we provide our clients with residential, municipal and commercial services and help them in building their dream house.
But before building a house an important step needs to completed, that is of procuring the elevation certification NJ. Let’s discuss it in a little detail in the next section.

What is elevation certification, NJ?

Now, if you are living in an area that is prone to floods and are trying to get flood insurance then one of the documents that you will be asked to produce is an elevation certificate to purchase your insurance. This certificate determines your property’s susceptibility to flooding damage and hence is considered an important paper.
The document is issued by NFIP, Federal Emergency Management Administration. This certificate documents important characteristics of your property like its location, flood zone, the elevation of its lowest story, etc. And on the basis of this certificate, your flood insurance premium is decided by the insurance agent.

What is the elevation certificate used for?

The certificate is used to determine your insurance premium by estimating the likelihood that the rising water in case of a flood will reach the lowest story of your home. For this calculation, the floor elevation of your home is compared with the base flood elevation of your location. The further above base elevation your lowest story is located, the lower will be your premium.

So, if you are ready to construct your home and you are doing that in a flood-prone area, then make sure to get your elevation certificate so you can avoid any problems in the upcoming future!

For more information about elevation certificates in Bergen County NJ, speak to one of our engineers at 973-647-7820.

Omland & Osterkorn – Your Trusted Elevation Certificate Surveyors in Bergen County NJ.