Flood Insurance Issues North Corolla, NC

This information about the 4WD area (all areas of Currituck County north of Corolla proper) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is provided to help consumers avoid making mistakes when buying real estate.

Availability of flood insurance

There is no NFIP flood insurance available to owners in the 4WD area. NFIP is the cheap, easy-to-obtain, public, federal / FEMA flood insurance available to homeowners everywhere else on the Outer Banks except a small section of Hatteras Island and also at the far end of the Villages at Ocean Hill subdivision. on the Corolla paved stretch of highway.

Flood zones

The entire 4WD area is a COBRA Zone (Coastal Barrier Resources Act) in which the federal government does not want any development of any kind, but cannot prevent it. The three 4WD areas are Swan Beach, North Swan Beach, and Carova, and each has federal reserve land between it and the next section, hence the lack of paved roads.

Flood insurance status is key because ALL federally backed or insured mortgage lenders require homeowners to have flood insurance if the home is wholly or partially within any FEMA flood zone other than Zone X Flood zone X is the highest elevation within the entire zone. Outer Banks Regional Federally Designated Flood Hazard Area.

There are only different grades (zones) within this general flood hazard zone, with Zone X being the highest terrain. And ALL waterfront properties, no matter how high, must have flood insurance and are in the VE zone. The rest of the area is designated as zone AE.

Some of the properties in the 4WD areas are in Zone X or have a LOMA (letter of map amendment) on file from a land engineer that exempts the property from having to carry flood insurance, but many cannot obtain one. LOMA due to wetlands, fill problems etc. These are the properties that deserve your attention.

Distance + More expensive

It can get complicated, but the general point is that it can be more expensive to own a home in the 4WD area even though the asking prices seem lower than the paved road areas of Corolla.

All buildings and services cost more in 4WD, of course, as every delivery, renovation, or repair of any kind has to be done via 4WD (furniture, appliances, whatever) including labor.

There is no commercial development of any kind and emergency services are limited. The only public services available are telephone and electricity. Well should be used for water and satellite for TV.

During times of lunar high tide and / or storm activity, it can be treacherous to get in and out of the area, as the only path from the paved road in Corolla to either neighborhood is directly on the beach side of the dunes. . Once past the first section of the federal reserve after the paved road ends, the streets return to sound in many places, but the only way in and out is right at the water’s edge.

It takes about 30 minutes by car from the farthest areas of Carova to get to the nearest store, gas, ice, pizza, anything you or the rental guests (if you rent) want on short notice during your stay. Wink’s in Corolla Village is the closest store to 4WD.

This is not to scare you, but to make sure this is the type of area that would be suitable for your needs before taking a trip just to see the properties that are for sale. If you think this kind of rustic, “backwoods” feel wouldn’t work for your needs, we should focus your visit on comparable properties located in the usual paved areas of Corolla and let you drive the 4WD yourself just for fun and curiosity. in your spare time while you’re here.

We often have potential buyers who flatly refuse to consider the area because there is nothing to do but enjoy the house, each other, and the beach (and the flies and mosquitoes). Of course, wild horses roam there and are pleasing to the eye, but everyone must be careful not to disturb them.

There’s basically no place for coffee or ice cream or window shopping or anything other than the beach and houses, and frankly moms tend to shun the area for that reason, unless that’s specifically what that the family likes.