I am trying to sell my house and I have it under contract, but the buyer said that he can't get flood insurance unless I raise the grade of the land surrounding the house, so that the distance between the vents and the ground is 12 inches. I understand that is the current building code, but I didn't build the house and the code was in place before the house was built. I didn't have any trouble finding flood insurance, why is he?

Answer:  Unfortunately, insurance companies change their requirements over time. While they may be willing to honor an existing policy like yours, they may not be willing to issue a new one with the same conditions. This could be what makes the difference between your existing policy and your buyer's attempt to get a new policy at this time.

Your buyer may be able to find flood insurance if he checks other companies. Each company has unique underwriting guidelines. He can check out our trusted sponsor links at the top of our flood insurance pages at http://www.insuranceguide101.com/flood-insurance/.

Also, can you document that your property has never been subject to flood? This may also help him in his search for insurance.