Recently, rural properties in California have had a harder time qualifying for homeowner’s insurance. After the big fires in 2014 (and the not-so-big Black Bart Fire locally), many insurance companies have declined new requests for coverage and even opted not to renew existing policies. Why? Because the Department of Insurance disallowed a rate increase for … Read more
If you buy a home in a federally designated flood zone with a federally insured loan (and most loans fall into this category), you are required to purchase flood insurance. Sometimes, property that falls within a designated zone on a map isn’t all that likely to flood, yet the insurance is still required—with one exception: … Read more
Preparing for a disaster that may never occur is rarely at the top of my to do lists, and yet, at some point, it should be. Since September is National Preparedness Month, this seems like as good a time as any. And if you ask the folks in Napa who recently felt the jolt of … Read more