Better Flood

Get Flood Insurance New Mexico and Save Money too.

People in New Mexico save on average $500 to $1,457+ on their annual flood premiums.

Get flood insurance from a Flood Nerd® at Better Flood Insurance® and save big time.

Alternative_flood_insurance

featured on

Find out now how much flood insurance is in New Mexico.

Get Cheap Flood Insurance without Compromising Coverage

Affordable Coverage

★★★★★

"Same Coverage at a Better Rate"

-Mohammed K

Flood Nerds will shop the private flood insurance markets and then compare them to the NFIP, guaranteeing you the better option. We will send you the cheapest flood insurance rates within minutes.

Flood Insurance Affordable and Approved
Quick Quote & Coverage

★★★★★

"Quick Response, Very Knowledgable"

– Robert W

Paying for low-cost flood insurance is awesome. And letting the Flood Nerds shop your property has other benefits – you can get better coverage while saving money, and you can get it fast.

Top Rated Flood Nerds
We Have Satisfied Clients

★★★★★

"Would highly recommend Better Flood for your flood insurance needs."

– Varun K

Better Flood Insurance is an independent flood insurance broker that shops flood insurance ONLY.  Flood Nerds are Flood insurance experts. We have 5000+ happy clients and 390+ 5-star reviews. 

Flood Insurance New Mexico

new mexico flood map

Does my New Mexico homeowner insurance cover flooding?

A typical New Mexico homeowners’ policy is written through Farmers, State Farm, Allstate, and Progressive; for instance, it excludes flooding that will be covered under their homeowner’s policy.

In most cases, the only way to get flood coverage is by purchasing a stand-alone flood insurance policy. However, you should ask your homeowners agent if you can add an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy to cover flooding. Yet, don’t be too surprised if the answer is NO.

Flood mapping

Do I need flood insurance in New Mexico?

It is important to have flood insurance coverage in New Mexico because our beloved Cowboy State has seen a fair share of flooding, and there is likely more coming.

We believe most homeowners think about Flood insurance in New Mexico at some point, maybe before buying a home or during the closing process.  However, many of us only think about it when a big storm is looming, or we have heard on the news that there is flooding forecasted or happening too close to our home.

If your home or business is in a flood zone, that is considered a low flood-risk area. Sadly, many homeowners decide to forgo purchasing coverage because they believe they are safe from flooding. Some real estate and insurance agents may even say you don’t need it.

new mexico flood zone map

I ask you to consider the facts: 20 percent of all flooding events across our nation come in areas that are considered low risk. After our last few major storms (Hurricane Harvey), we saw flooding in these low-risk areas.  Eighty percent of these individuals had water in their homes or buildings and didn’t have flood insurance coverage.

In Harris County, nearly 135,000 homes were damaged.  Three-fourths of these properties were considered low to moderate risk.

We often hear that people believe that the government will help, which is true.  However, a few things must align for you to get government assistance.

  1. The president of the United States must declare the flooding event a state of emergency.  If this doesn’t happen, then there won’t be assistance.
  2. The average amount of assistance homeowners get after a flood when they do not have flood coverage is $5,000.  The average cost of damage to one’s property after a flood is $38,000+.  That $5K you get from the government?  It comes as a loan, and you will need to pay it back.  Are you willing to gamble your financial future by forgoing flood insurance coverage?

One more note on these low-risk flood zone maps. Many of these maps are over 40 years old. If the area has been developed, then there is likely more concrete, creating a barrier for land that, previously, might have absorbed the massive downpour.

Because of all these factors, it is difficult for property owners to know their true risk of flooding. FEMA admits that their flood maps only give an idea of part of the risk. Our recent storms are facts that it can rain anywhere within New Mexico, and you should consider getting flood coverage so you are not uninsured when you need it most.

FEMA flood zone maps often take years to go into effect after the terrain was studied; this gives the impression that the area is “more up to date” than it is.

 

The average cost for New Mexico flood insurance in these Low-risk areas is $595 per year.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and all federally backed lenders rely on these New Mexico flood insurance maps to assess risk, set premiums and determine who is required to purchase flood insurance. Bad information about an area’s flood risk can leave property owners under or uninsured. 

How much is flood insurance in New Mexico?

New Mexico NFIP flood insurance.

There are many options available in New Mexico regarding flood insurance, but they fall into two main categories.

  1. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), also known as FEMA, is the government option for flood insurance.  The NFIP has enjoyed a 50-state monopoly on the flood insurance market.
  2.  Not “private flood insurance” but NFIP Resellers

If you have Nationwide Flood Insurance, State Farm Flood Insurance, Progressive Flood Insurance, or any of the of the logos below, then you are buying the NFIP flood policy that is just being resold through a government program. These companies are private companies, but their flood insurance is not. Here is a list of the 70 companies that resell the NFIP policy.

Not Private flood Insurance

New Mexico private flood insurance market

There are alternatives to the NFIP or government insurance.  It is called Private flood insurance, most notably Lloyd’s of London Flood insurance. However, there are other options available in New Mexico. We shop all the options for your property in your region to ensure you are getting the best premium.  Please click here if you are ready to have us do the work for you.

Our shopping includes the NFIP because sometimes we find that you can get a much better premium with government subsidies.

How to get flood insurance in New Mexico

Lloyd’s of London Flood Insurance New Mexico Market

New Mexico is fortunate to have many Lloyd’s of London flood insurance options. Although many Lloyd’s flood insurance companies will have you assume that there is only one option, nothing could be further from the truth.

Lloyd’s of London has a rich history attributed to having invented the first modern insurance model. Unlike most of its competition, Lloyd’s of London is not a company but a corporate body.  This structure works well since it has been around for over 330 years. Lloyd’s operates under multiple financial backers pooling their capital to spread the risk.

I have two blog posts that deeply dive into Lloyd’s of London and what they mean to New Mexico’s flood insurance market.  If you are interested, the links are below.

Lloyd’s of London Flood Insurance

Private Flood Insurance vs NFIP

Lloyds also insures the world for flood insurance, meaning they cover flooding events in India, Australia, and much of Europe.  The “game” of insurance is to spread your risk since Lloyds is worldwide.

Lloyds of London Private Market Flood Insruance

My joke here is that Lloyds is banking on God’s promise that he won’t flood the entire world again, …..so they won’t have to pay out the whole worlds flood claim.

How much does flood insurance cost in New Mexico?

Many factors go into getting the cost of flood insurance for New Mexico. If your home is in what is considered a low-to-moderate risk, you can get a heavily subsidized policy through the government.

New Mexico flood insurance low-to Moderate Risk rate and cost.
This is Flood Zone X, which is not lender required flood zone.

This is usually identified as an X-flood zone.  Then we would suggest the government Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) which is a subsidized policy and has set flood insurance coverage limits (see grid below):

 

$250K (Residental) /$500K (commercial) Building

The average cost for flood insurance in New Mexico with the maximum set limits in these Low-risk flood zone areas is $405 – $700 per year.

Your property is in a higher-risk flood zone, usually identified with a Flood Zone AE. Your lender will require you to have flood insurance. The cost of flood insurance in New Mexico depends on many factors that are unique to the structure. We will try to give you an idea of the most common homes we see in New Mexico with a slab-on-grade foundation.

We will look at the New Mexico cost of flood insurance for the NFIP maximum of $250,000 for the (building only) with NO CONTENTS and our recommended deductible of $5,000.

We will be rating this example on the NFIP and on a few of our private flood insurance policies, specifically Lloyd’s flood insurance options in New Mexico.

Cost of Flood Insurance in NEW MEXICO in high-risk flood zone AE

Our example is in Alamogordo, NM, but the premiums will be the same if in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, NM, Las Cruces, Hobbs, and many other New Mexico flood zones.

In our example, the Base Flood Elevation (BFE is 4870) and is a home that is built before 1973

NFIP option in New Mexico Flood Zone AE

NFIP – Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

NFIP Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $2,866.00

This option is what we see if the property has had a flood loss before and either doesn’t have an Elevation Certificate applied, or the Elevation certificate shows that the lowest floor is 4 feet under the BFE for the area. You can use 10% of your coverage to cover other structures on your property

New Mexico Private flood insurance – Lloyd’s of London Flood Insurance (option 1)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Lloyd’s of London (option 1) Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $912

This option is great, and we are very happy when we can get this option. They can be a bit choosey about what risk they will accept and will not take anything that has had a flood loss. They offer basements coverage, about $2,000 for loss of use, and $2,000 for other structures, but they can’t increase this coverage. They do not require an Elevation Certificate to rate.

New Mexico Private flood insurance – Lloyds of London Flood Insurance (option 2)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Lloyds of London (option 2)  Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $1002.48

This option is great, and we are very happy when we can get this option for our clients. They seem to be writing almost all risks; however, they do not write any property in a designated floodway or have a depth of -4 under the BFE.  In our example, with our BFE being 4870, they will not accept this risk if the lowest floor is 4866.  They will not take anything that has had a flood loss. They offer limited coverage for basements and do not require an Elevation Certificate to rate as a percentage of coverage for loss of use. If you want coverage for other structures, that will need to be added.

Private Flood insurance option (option 3)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Private flood insurance (option 3) Not Lloyds,

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $2,208.32

This option will take properties that have had one flood loss for more than five years and the payout was under $100,000 on the claim. Their coverage matches the NFIP.  They will write practically all risks, don’t need an elevation certificate to rate, and are a bit lower in premium than the NFIP.

Private Flood Insurance –  Lloyd’s of London (option 4)

This option must be written on the building’s Replacement Cost Value (RCV). Otherwise, there is a co-insurance penalty that kicks in. So, $250,000 might be a bit low in California, but to keep this going, let’s just use that for this option

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage, No Contents, and $5,000 deductible

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $819.20 (great price).

This options rating system is all over the board.  Sometimes we get a crazy great price, but other times the premium is way higher than the NFIP will consider taking a property that has had one flood loss before as long as it has been more than ten years and the payout was under $50,000 on the claim. Their preferred coverage is at replacement cost, slightly different from some of our other Lloyd’s flood options.  We usually reserve this one if the property doesn’t fit the above options. We can adjust coverages to control premiums. As mentioned before, these underwriters’ rates are all over the board.  It is worth shopping through to ensure we are getting you the best premium possible. They don’t need an elevation certificate to rate.

Private Flood Insurance –  Lloyd’s of London (option 5)

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage, No Contents, and $5,000 deductible.

The annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $1015.00

This option came from the company that used to run the NFIP program, so the coverage matches the NFIP coverage with two differences. They offer living expenses which will cover your cost when you are displaced from your home during repairs (most Lloyds flood policies offer this).  They also offer a unique swimming pool clean-out, so ask for this coverage if you have a pool.

Private Flood Insurance –  Lloyd’s of London (option 6)

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage. No Contents and $5,000 deductible.

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $731.52

This options rating system is also all over the board. Sometimes we get a crazy low price; other times, the premium is way higher than the NFIP. They will consider taking a property that has had one flood loss before as long as it has been more than ten years and the payout was under $25,000 on the claim. They have been rumored to give a low price the first year and then non renew following years, or sometimes they jack the price way up so we will watch them. They have a slick system, and their underwriting is managed by a 3rd party, which also sometimes seems to be a glitch.

More options are coming online every day, and we are working to be looking into every viable option.

Flood Insurance Rate Map New Mexico

Currently, Flood Insurance New Mexico has 12,405 NFIP policies in force to date, with a total cost of $10,462,171. That would make the average for New Mexico $843. Of course, some will pay more, and some will pay less.

Click here to have us shop and save you money.

Albuquerque flood insurance

Hello, New Mexico!  Thanks for visiting our page for all your flood insurance needs.  Let’s start with Albuquerque, which has 742 active flood policies.  The average flood rate for Albuquerque is $623, which includes $462,502 in written premiums.

Bernalillo, New Mexico, flood insurance

In Bernalillo, New Mexico, the average flood rate is $751.  The written premium is $653,890 with 871 active flood policies.

Corrales, Los Ranchos, and Rio Rancho New Mexico flood insurance

Corrales, Los Ranchos, and Rio Rancho have 267 flood policies, with $136,359 in premiums.  This allows the average flood rate for these areas to be $511.

Chaves and Roswell New Mexico flood insurance

Three hundred ten flood policies are in effect in Chaves and Roswell, New Mexico. Roswell, you all have a TV show named after you! I would love to see an alien. There are $266,807 in written flood premiums for your areas.  This allows your average flood rate to be $861.

Cibola, Grands, and Milan New Mexico flood insurance

The average flood rate jumps up to $1,044 for Cibola, Grants, and Milan, New Mexico.  There are 88 active flood policies and $91,835 in written premiums.

Clovis, New Mexico, flood insurance

It jumps slightly up to $1,203 for Clovis, New Mexico.  Clovis, you have 309 active policies with $371,591 in flood premiums.

Dona Ana New Mexico flood insurance

$622 is the average flood rate for Dona Ana, New Mexico.  Dona Ana has 482 active flood policies, with $299,765 in written premiums. Thanks for looking us up, Dona Ana!

Hatch New Mexico flood insurance

The state’s highest average rate of $1,981 belongs to Hatch, New Mexico. This includes only 43 flood policies and $85,196 in premiums.

Las Cruces, New Mexico, flood insurance

Las Cruces, New Mexico, has 818 flood policies in effect.  This allows the average flood rate to compute to be $959 which includes $784,717 in premiums.

Sunland Park, New Mexico, flood insurance

Hello Sunland Park, New Mexico!  Thanks for stopping by!  You have 106 active flood policies, and your average flood rate is $657.  Your total premiums are $69,602.

Artesia New Mexico flood insurance

One hundred five flood policies are active in Artesia, New Mexico.  These policies total up to $88,906 in written premiums, allowing the average flood rate to be $847.

Carlsbad, New Mexico, flood insurance

The average flood rate is $1,174 in Carlsbad, New Mexico.  Carlsbad has 239 active flood policies and $280,490 in written premiums.

Eddy, Grant and Silver City, New Mexico flood insurance

In Eddy, Grant, and Silver City, New Mexico, your average flood rate is $1,076, which is higher than the state average.  Maybe we can help you all find a lower rate!  This includes 104 active flood policies and $111,909 in flood premiums.

Hobbs New Mexico flood insurance

Hobbs, New Mexico – you all have quite a few flood policies – 853 to be exact!  Your average flood rate is $597, including $508,829 in written premiums.

Jal, Lea, and Lovington, New Mexico flood insurance

Look at Jal, Lea, and Lovington, New Mexico, to find 104 flood policies.  The premiums written total up to $95,142, which causes the average flood rate to be $915.

Lincoln and Ruidoso New Mexico flood insurance

The average flood premium drops to $646 when we look at Lincoln and Ruidoso, New Mexico.  There are 232 flood policies in effect with $149,840 in written premiums.

Alamogordo New Mexico, flood insurance

Hello Alamogordo!  You all have 1,239 active flood policies.  Your premiums total $752,039.  The average rate for Alamogordo, New Mexico, is $607.

Otero New Mexico flood insurance

$503 is the average flood rate for Otero, New Mexico.  The total premium written is $100,650 in Otero, including 200 flood policies in effect.

Espanola and Rio Arriba, New Mexico flood insurance

One hundred seventy-one flood policies are active in Espanola and Rio Arriba, New Mexico.  The total premiums for this area are $175,593, which allows the average flood rate to be $1,027.

Portales New Mexico flood insurance

Portales, New Mexico has 399 active flood policies.  The average flood rate is $629 for Portales.  The total premiums are $251,161.

Farmington and San Juan, New Mexico, flood insurance

There are 197 flood policies in effect in Farmington and San Juan, New Mexico.  The average flood rate for this area is $844.  The total premiums written is $166,351.

Las Vagas & San Miguel, New Mexico flood insurance

The average flood rate is $1,143 in Las Vegas and San Miguel, New Mexico.  There are 114 flood policies here with $130,355 in premiums.

Bernalillo and Sandoval County, New Mexico, flood insurance

In the town of Bernalillo in Sandoval County, there are 257 active flood policies.  The average rate here is $1,063, which covers $273,167 in written premiums.

Sandoval New Mexico flood insurance

Sandoval, New Mexico, has an average flood rate of $1,008.  The total premium here is $258,076 with 256 active flood policies.

Santa Fe Flood Insurance & Policies

Hello Santa Fe, New Mexico!  Good to see you here!  You all have 462 flood policies in effect.  The average rate here is $903, with $417,010 in premiums.

Socorro New Mexico flood insurance

The rate goes up to $1,167 in Socorro, New Mexico.  The active policies total 202 here, with $235,690 in written premiums.

Red River and Taso New Mexico flood insurance

Let’s check out Red River and Taos, New Mexico.  In this area, we find 163 flood policies with $158,418 in total premiums.  The average flood rate for Red River and Taos is $972.

Estancia, Moriarty, and Torrence New Mexico flood insurance

In Estancia, Moriarty, and Torrance, there are 98 active policies and an average flood rate of $1,308.  This includes $128,166 in written premiums.

Belen New Mexico flood insurance

Belen, New Mexico, has an average flood rate of $963.  This includes 187 active policies and $180,090 in written flood premiums.

Bosque Farms New Mexico flood insurance

Four hundred thirteen flood policies are active in Bosque Farms, New Mexico.  The premiums in Bosque Farms total $464,847, which allows the average flood rate to be $1,126.

Los Lunas, New Mexico, flood insurance

The rate in Los Lunas, New Mexico, drops to $958.  The premiums in Los Lunas total up to $398,340, which includes 416 flood policies.

Peralta, New Mexico, flood insurance

Peralta, New Mexico, has 252 flood policies, including $285,002 in written premiums.  The average flood rate in Peralta is $1,131.

Valencia, New Mexico, flood insurance

Last but not least is Valencia, New Mexico!  Valencia has the highest active flood policies in the state – 1,363.  The premiums written here total up to $1,322,625.  The average flood rate in Valencia is $970.

Thanks for checking out all the flood information on New Mexico!!

New Mexico Flood Insurance Calculator

For decades, the NFIP has over-charged 50 percent of its policyholders and under-charged the other 50 percent while it has racked up $42 billion in taxpayer-funded losses, equating to more than half of every claim paid by the NFIP since 1978.

About 30 percent of NFIP claims payments go to the same 3 percent of insured “repetitive loss” structures yearly. When you do the math, this means that the other 97 percent of their flood-exposed constituents could have paid in less and still netted larger claims payouts if they had better access to private flood insurance. A recent white paper by Milliman found that 90 percent of homes in Sandy-struck New York and New Jersey would see reduced flood insurance rates through private insurers.

Scroll to Top