California is known for its great beauty with its long coastlines and sloping mountain ranges. With amazing weather in general and a diversity of culture, it is an incredible place to visit or settle down. Unfortunately, though, it does have a propensity for natural disasters. According the University of California, in the 1800’s during the gold rush there was quite a population explosion in California; people settled in areas which had previously been avoided due to them being known as potentially dangerous areas.  Today we have all these potentially dangerous areas marked up and all pr...

Searching for a home can be both exciting and overwhelming. You’ll likely see over a dozen properties—each with its own unique personalities and features. Initially, it might be easy to get carried away with your excitement. But buying a home is a huge commitment, and you want to make sure you’re aware of every little detail before going through with a purchase.  That last thing any homebuyer wants is to be blind-sighted. If you’re buying a property in California, carefully reviewing your natural hazard disclosure, or NHD report is of vital importance. Oftentimes, California homebuyers ar...

Selling your home can become quite a headache if you don’t have all your ducks in a row, and when it comes to providing all the correct paperwork it could seem like your ducks all just waddle off in tandem and leave you stranded. That being said, the potential buyer of a new home could find themselves under even more pressure. They are about to fork out a bunch of their hard earned savings to buy a home that they are going to live in for the next few years at least and they have to make sure that they aren’t buying a soon-to-be fossil. It would be quite the fiasco if you sell your home to...

For California homebuyers, there’s a lot to consider before purchasing a home … Safe neighborhoods, great schools, and convenient locations are just a few key factors people look into when house hunting. However, there’s one thing new California buyers might not be aware of — an NHD report. When buying any kind of property, real estate sellers and brokers must provide a Natural Hazard Disclosure, as it is required by California State Law. NHD reports help prevent homeowners from blindly walking into a purchase of a hazardous area.  Some hazards are more dangerous than others, and dependi...

In the golden state of California, you can indeed have it all - there are both beaches and mountains easily within reach and throughout the year climate that’s sure to make you smile. There is a price to be paid, however, and it’s not just financial. In truth, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows to own a home, and along with all the natural beauty of California comes numerous natural risks as well. These disasters can not only put your personal belongings at-risk but also can negatively impact the overall worth of your home.

If I’ve learned one thing about homeownership, it’s that y...

Every Californian homeowner knows the trials and tribulations of wildfire season. As of 2019, California officially has more wildfires than any other state. By the end of 2020, state and local resources had fought nearly 8,000 wildfires that burned approximately 260,000 acres of land. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported about 10,488 buildings destroyed. As the climate continues to heat up, wildfires' danger continues to grow, with each year breaking previous wildfire records. Heat and lack of regular rainfall threaten plant life, and drought spells grow longe...

When buying or selling a home in California, obtaining an NHD report is an absolute must. California is actually the only state in the country that requires a Natural Hazard Disclosure during a real estate transaction because of the wide range of environmental hazards present in its diverse landscape. Quite simply, buyers have a right to know if their property is at significant risk of damages from a wildfire, flooding or even earthquakes. An NHD report helps them better understand the risks associated with a property, including the potential for additional insurance costs. Because of this...

Of all the destinations in the world, California is by far one of the most desirable thanks to endless stretches of sandy beaches, mild and sunny weather as well as exciting and tantalizing food stops.For those of us who are fortunate enough to live in this Golden State, however, there are also a few more things to consider. While property brokers and real estate sellers are required by law to supply a Natural Hazard Disclosure (or NHD) Report if a property falls within a hazard area, mudslides are not classified in this range. Rather, mudslides are an effect of flooding or seismic activity...

2020 was notable for a lot of things — and for California residents, part of this was the record-setting fire season. Over 4.1 million acres of California burned in 2020, with five of the state’s six largest fires in history happening during the calendar year.Unfortunately, these statistics represent the continuation of a trend, rather than an outlier. California’s wildfire risk seems to grow each year, putting lives and property at risk.In response to steadily worsening fire conditions, 2019 saw the passage of new laws regarding homeowner responsibilities for those who live in wildfire haz...

Despite its great beauty, California is home to a variety of natural hazards. The state frequently ranks at or near the top of lists for both the greatest number of wildfires and total number of acres burned in any given year.There is no understating the extreme danger that California’s wildfires can pose to lives and property. Because of this, the state government takes responsibility for preventing and suppressing wildfires in areas outside of federal ownership or city boundaries.Of course, many people live in these areas — designated as a State Responsibility Area, or SRA. Residents of t...