Real case: a flood-prone flat in a seismic zone

A buyer had all but closed the purchase of a flat in Santiago de la Ribera (San Javier, Murcia), a step from the Mar Menor. Good area, good price, an established building. They ran the home through Hogarfax before signing and the report raised two warnings that appeared nowhere in the listing: flooding and seismic activity. They walked away. This is a real, anonymised case.

Warning 1: area near flooding

The report flagged «Area near flooding»: the home's surroundings may be affected by flooding. It is a river-hazard figure that comes from the official flood-zone mapping (SNCZI/MITECO), not from an impression. In a low-lying area close to the coast, knowing this before buying is decisive: it shapes insurance, maintenance and, in some cases, what happens when heavy rain falls. We explain it in river and coastal flood risk.

Here is the difference. Instead of reading «area near flooding» and trusting it, you open the viewer and see it: the flood-risk cells (in blue) surround the block and touch the building. It is not a text nor an AI-generated answer that could invent the figure: it is the plot's real geometry crossed with the official mapping, and you verify it yourself on the map.

Warning 2: area with some seismic activity

The second warning: «Area with some seismic activity», with moderate hazard. The Region of Murcia is one of the highest seismic-risk areas in Spain —the 2011 Lorca earthquake made that clear— and the NCSE-02 standard records it. It does not prevent buying, but it means looking at the building's condition with different eyes: cracks, structural state, major refurbishments. More context in earthquake risk when buying property in Spain.

Two warnings, one informed decision

Neither risk appeared in the listing or in the conversation with the seller. Together —flooding in the surroundings and moderate seismic hazard on a building whose condition needed checking— they were enough for the buyer to decide not to proceed. Not out of alarmism, but because they could put the official data on the table before the deposit contract. For 24.90 €.