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Wildfire

California MBA urges guardrails for bill targeting wildfire-related forbearance

California, CMBA, Forbearance, Housing Market, HWmember, Legislation, Mortgage, Natural Disaster, Wildfire /

The California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) testified on March 20 before the California Assembly Banking & Finance Committee during an oversight hearing on California Assembly Bill 238, which focuses on the effectiveness of mortgage forbearance and the broader challenges facing homeowners affected by the state’s January 2025 wildfires. AB 238 provides up to one year […]

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Rhino targets climate risk home insurability in California

California, Climate Change, Flood, Flood insurance, Homeowners insurance, HWmember, Real Estate, Wildfire /

Property insurance startup Rhino is looking to help real estate agents and their clients assess insurability and find insurance for properties in areas facing high rates of climate disaster risk.  To achieve this goal, Rhino, an insurance brokerage that specializes in securing insurance policies for climate-risk exposed properties in California, has launched DealShield. The software

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Trump executive order overrides Los Angeles wildfire rebuilding plan

California, Donald Trump, FEMA, Housing Market, HWmember, Los Angeles, Natural Disaster, Politics, Wildfire /

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced an executive order that allows the federal government to override state and local regulations during recovery efforts from last year’s Los Angeles wildfires, arguing that California authorities have slowed rebuilding. The order directs federal agencies to bypass state and local permitting processes for federally funded disaster recovery projects, asserting

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Samara installs its first modular home for Altadena wildfire victims

accessory dwelling units, California, The Builder's Daily, Wildfire /

Samara, a California-based manufacturer of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), installed its first modular home for wildfire victims in Altadena, Calif., on Thursday, in partnership with nonprofit organization Steadfast LA.  The installation, which took place last week, is part of a local rebuilding effort in response to the damage caused by the Eaton Fire and Palisades

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KB Home opens new wildfire-resilient community in NorCal hills

homebuilder, The Builder's Daily, Wildfire /

In the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, KB Home has unveiled a fire-resilient new-home subdivision designed and engineered to protect homeowners, buffer neighboring communities and potentially lower property insurance rates.  The homebuilder opened its model home and began selling homes in its 24-lot Stone Canyon community, 30 miles east of Sacramento in the fire-prone

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Insurance hurdles, red tape slow Los Angeles wildfire recovery

California, Climate Change, Housing Market, HWmember, Insurance, Los Angeles, Real Estate, Wildfire /

Roughly a year after destructive wildfires tore through parts of Los Angeles, rebuilding in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods remains slow, hampered by insurance delays, regulatory bottlenecks and rising construction costs.  Most of the damage stemmed from the two largest blazes, the Eaton Fire in Altadena and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, both of

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Sonic Fire Tech launches infrasound wildfire defense system in California

California, HWmember, Natural Disaster, Technology, The Builder's Daily, Wildfire /

Sonic Fire Tech recently announced the commercial rollout of its Sonic Home Defense system, a wildfire defense system in California that extinguishes fires using inaudible, infrasound technology instead of water or chemicals.  The product has personal significance for Remington Hotchkis, chief commercialization officer at Sonic Fire Tech, whose family home in Altadena burned down in

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YIMBY group sues Newsom over SB 9 pause in L.A. wildfire zones

Housing Policy, Lawsuit, Policy, The Builder's Daily, Wildfire /

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave the state’s “yes-in-my-backyard” coalition celebrated wins this year on housing legislation. Those same pro-housing activists have now sued him over an August executive order that exempts fire-ravaged areas in Los Angeles from a 2021 state law — Senate Bill 9 — that paved the way for higher density on single-family

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Wildfire warnings accompany California’s older home sales

Affordability, California, Climate Change, Homebuying, Housing Market, HWmember, Insurance, Real Estate, Wildfire /

California has become the first U.S. state to require homeowners selling older properties in high-risk wildfire zones to disclose not just a house’s vulnerabilities, but also steps taken to reduce those risks. The new mandate took effect in July and applies to houses built before 2010 – when the state strengthened building codes to withstand

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$12.7 trillion in US homes face severe climate risks

Affordability, FEMA, Flood insurance, Homeowners insurance, Hurricane, HWmember, National Flood Insurance Program, Real Estate, Realtor.com, Wildfire /

More than one in four U.S. homes — valued at $12.7 trillion — are exposed to severe or extreme climate risks, according to a report released Tuesday by Realtor.com. The analysis found that threats from flooding, hurricane winds and wildfires are increasingly reshaping housing markets, homeowner costs and insurance availability. “Climate risks are no longer

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