{"id":153415,"date":"2026-02-06T07:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/153415\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T07:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T07:35:30","slug":"har-halts-plan-to-add-flood-risk-ratings-to-listings-heres-where-you-can-find-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/153415\/","title":{"rendered":"HAR halts plan to add flood risk ratings to listings. Here\u2019s where you can find them"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013 The Houston Association of Realtors<\/a> (HAR) has postponed plans to integrate flood risk ratings into property listings, citing concerns over data interpretation and accuracy. However, home buyers still have multiple resources available to assess flood risks in the nation\u2019s fourth-largest city.<\/p>\n

HAR had partnered with Texas A&M University\u2019s Institute for Disaster Resilient Texas<\/a> on their \u201cBuyers Aware<\/a>\u201d platform, which would have displayed flood risk ratings directly on property listings. The decision to delay implementation was made in June 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know the consumer wants this information. They want to know if it\u2019s flooded, or if it is going to flood, or if it\u2019s going to be required to have flood insurance today or in the future,\u201d said Bill Baldwin, HAR board member. \u201cBut there were concerns about its accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

One key challenge was the platform\u2019s focus on land rather than structures. <\/p>\n

For example, a property could receive a high-risk rating based on its location, even if the house itself was elevated well above flood levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese risk ratings are all about the land. They have nothing to do with the house,\u201d Baldwin explained. \u201cIt was hard for people to understand why my house that\u2019s now 10 feet up in the air has a five out of five high risk rating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alternative resources for flood risk assessment<\/p>\n

While HAR<\/a> has paused the integration of Buyers Aware ratings, several other resources remain available for property buyers to assess flood risks:<\/p>\n

Real estate professionals recommend using multiple sources when evaluating flood risk. <\/p>\n

\u201cYour real estate agent is the source of the source,\u201d said Lisa Rigdon, a realtor with Keller Williams Memorial<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re going to tell you to go to that insurance agent to find out that information. There\u2019s also the official FEMA flood maps. That\u2019s probably the best source of information.\u201d<\/p>\n

Due diligence is key<\/p>\n

For Houston home buyers, understanding flood risk remains crucial. <\/p>\n

Jordan Nicholson, a Memorial area resident looking to buy investment property, emphasizes the importance of thorough research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re either uncertain or you just don\u2019t know, that\u2019s going to hurt the confidence you have in making the decision,\u201d Nicholson said. \u201cA reputable source like Texas A&M, who\u2019s using concrete data and reliable data sources… I have a lot of confidence in reviewing that data and using it to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Real estate professionals recommend several steps for buyers:<\/p>\n

Check the seller\u2019s disclosure for previous flooding<\/p>\n

Review FEMA flood maps<\/p>\n

Obtain flood insurance quotes<\/p>\n

Examine elevation certificates<\/p>\n

Talk to neighbors about flooding history<\/p>\n

Consider multiple flood risk assessment tools<\/p>\n

Future integration still possible<\/p>\n

HAR hasn\u2019t completely abandoned the idea of integrating flood risk ratings. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019ll never revisit it, but we decided that we weren\u2019t quite ready,\u201d Baldwin noted. <\/p>\n

The organization continues to promote flood awareness through various channels, including billboards throughout the city directing people to HAR\u2019s flood information website.<\/p>\n

In Houston, where flooding remains a significant concern, experts recommend getting flood insurance regardless of location. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have flood insurance on my home. I\u2019m not in a flood zone, never flooded before, no issues whatsoever, but it\u2019s smart as a Houston resident to have flood insurance,\u201d Rigdon advised.<\/p>\n

For now, HAR will continue providing links to multiple flood risk assessment resources on their website while working toward a solution that better serves both buyers and sellers in the Houston real estate market.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) has postponed plans to integrate flood risk ratings into property…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153416,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12257,3576,27690,14918,63416,56,24716,58,57,13666,63415,63414,111,13658,3042],"class_list":["post-153415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-flood","tag-flooding","tag-har","tag-home-buying","tag-home-selling","tag-houston","tag-houston-association-of-realtors","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-hurricane-harvey","tag-institute-for-disaster-resilient-texas","tag-keller-williams-memorial","tag-real-estate","tag-real-estate-agent","tag-texas-am"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}