flooded backyard

[newcomer]

Hi,all,

We are buying a house in the South. The property we are interested in has some drainage problem in the backyard. It is at the lowest point in the street, there is a creek in the back that carries water to the woods, however, wherever it rains, the water outflows to the backyard, and last summer the whole backyard was flooded. But the sell is willing lower the price on the house. My question is: is the water problem fixable? or is it not a good property to buy once its backyard has been flooded?

Thanks a lot in advance for your ideas.

Gary

[mrcaptainbob]

How close to the house does the water get? Can you find a history of how far it's ever gotten? Does the city or county have that on their charts as a flood plane? Is the ground sandy or clay? How deep does it get? How many times a year does this happen? Is there a basement?
Our last place was about 300ft from the creek. The house was on a hill that was about 15 feet higher than the creek. Every spring thaw the creek would overrun the south bank and cover the north 50 foot of the yard. It was hard pack clay. Never got close to the house. Could be an insurance issue if you need flood insurance. ($$$.$$!). Don't just take the seller's word and offer of lessening the price. Dig up info from the local city hall...

[LazyPup]

It would certainly depend upon the local average terrain. If you are at the low point there may not be much you can do to correct it.

I had a similar situation while living in Cantonment, Fla. which is about 15 miles north of pensacola.

you may want to discuss the problem with the neighbors before buying into tht house. I had a lot of problems with snakes near the house when the water went high. I didnt mind the garter snakes, but the water moccosins can get down right irritable at times.