Among the many items that are included on a Natural Hazard Disclosure Report, few gain greater attention from homeowners than very high fire hazard severity zones and woodland fire areas.  This is especially true in recent years, as the number and intensity of California wildfires seems to have increased significantly in recent years. Of the 12 most destructive wildfires in California’s history, half took place in 2020 or later. And eight of the 10 largest wildfires in the Golden State have occurred since December 2017. As such, evaluating the threat a property faces from wildfires is a c...

Despite its abundant natural beauty, California is also known for a higher than average risk of various natural disasters, with wildfires being especially abundant. In 2023, the state of California has experienced over 6,500 wildfires that have burned over 319,000 acres — including over 70 structures either damaged or destroyed. 2022 saw over 800 structures damaged or destroyed. With the risk for wildfires in mind, FortressFire has recently introduced a new platform and wildfire disclosure report designed to help real estate professionals and home buyers better understand potential wildfir...

La Jolla, June 13, 2023 – SnapFlood.com, a leading provider of innovative flood determination technology, is proud to announce its partnership with industry giant Guaranteed Rate. The collaboration marks a significant milestone for SnapFlood as it expands its footprint in the mortgage industry, providing cutting-edge flood determination solutions to streamline loan processing and enhance risk management. “Speed, accuracy, and precision are essential elements of the service we deliver for our customers,” said Guaranteed Rate President and Chief Executive Officer, Victor Ciardelli. “When cus...

In 2021, over 8,600 wildfires raged across California, consuming nearly 2.6 million acres of the Golden State. With record heat and drought conditions ravaging the state, it is fair to say that every property owner or renter in California — homeowners, tenants, business owners, investors — must guard against the risk of loss due to this most ominous of natural disasters. But what do you do when your property is “uninsurable” because the insurance industry regards your geography as too risky? What options are available? The California FAIR Plan is one option to cover your investment when o...

California stands alone in terms of beauty and diversity, but that richness has a dark side — it’s also one of the states most prone to natural disasters. Earthquakes have been a thing for a long time, but changing climate and persistent drought conditions have given Californians a new arch nemesis — wildfires.  Raging blazes are a common sight in the Golden State, consuming habitats and resources, putting property and human lives at serious risk, prompting evacuations and emergency orders. The risk is statewide, but some regions are at greater risk than others. Of the 58 counties in Cali...

The California Association of REALTORs® (CAR) has updated its standard Fire Hardening and Defensible Space (FHDS) Disclosure Form to comply with updated regulations. Here’s what you need to know about the changes …  What Has Changed Certain advisory language has been taken out and put instead in the Wildlife Disaster Advisory (WDA). Paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 have been modified to explicitly state that applicable portions of the form need not be filled out if certain statutory conditions are not met. Questions about the vulnerability of the home have been modified to reflect the ...

Believe it or not, most houses that get lost in wildfires aren’t lost because they were unlucky enough to be located in the heart of a blaze. They burn to the ground because of some relatively undramatic cause — an ember wafting into a vent, or a low-intensity fire miles away from the red zone.  In fact, more than half of all houses lost to wildfires are ignited from the inside, from firebrands that enter the house. As you can imagine, these burnouts were eminently preventable — but not automatically. A home can be safeguarded against these avoidable dangers through a process known as har...

After a record wildfire season in 2021, California heads into the summer of 2022 with dire warnings of a wildfire season that could meet or exceed the one before it — both in the northern and southern reaches of the state. At the beginning of June, the National Interagency Fire Center added Northern California to its list of regions in the west with “higher than normal” potential for wildfires in the coming months. Southern California, too, faces an elevated risk of wildfire in the wake of extreme triple-digit heat waves.  Remember, a June heat wave kicked off last year’s record-breaking ...

If your home sits in a FEMA-designated area of high flooding risk, your lender will probably require you to purchase flood insurance. Flood insurance can help you recoup damages caused by flooding that homeowner’s insurance does not cover.  As a quick reminder, even an inch of floodwater in your home can cause can cause an average of $25,000 in damage, and damage from floodwaters that arise from the ground (overflown riverbanks, burst water mains, runoff due to erosion) are usually not covered by your homeowner’s insurance.  Flood insurance does cover damage from this sort of damage … but...

If you have homeowners’ insurance, you are likely protected from financial loss due to fire damage … but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take steps to protect your home from a wildfire. Fire damage to your home can be incredibly disruptive and disheartening. You could have to relocate temporarily, even permanently. Treasured belongings, keepsakes, and tokens of memory could be lost forever. Needless to say, a wildfire in the vicinity of your home can be extremely dangerous, even deadly, to you or your loved ones if your home is not properly protected. If you live in an area — often rural ...