With the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) set to expire Sept. 30, just as hurricane and wildfire seasons collide with the threat of a federal government shutdown, uncertainty is mounting for homeowners, insurers and the housing market. The NFIP has faced repeated short-term extensions and lapses, including under the Biden administration two years ago. Between […]
NFIP set to expire as shutdown, disaster seasons collide Read More »
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
Wildfire warnings accompany California’s older home sales Read More »
Most California homes were built long before the state required that they be constructed to withstand wildfires. Now, sellers of older homes in high-risk areas must disclose to potential buyers not only a dwelling’s susceptibility to fire but what they’ve done to address those vulnerabilities. As climate change intensifies natural disasters, states across the US have been mandating
Older homes for sale in California now come with wildfire warnings Read More »
With homeowners insurance premiums expected to rise an average of 8% in 2025, according to data from Insurify, and researchers blaming these rising costs for an uptick in mortgage delinquencies, it’s clear that insurance costs are hampering homebuyers’ and owners’ already strained wallets. “Insurance is one of those things that flies under the radar when
Housing industry groups are fighting the surge in homeowners insurance costs Read More »
Housing affordability is taking center stage this fall for the Trump administration. From President Donald Trump’s early executive order ordering the heads of all executive departments and agencies “to deliver emergency price relief,” to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighting housing affordability as one of his “big projects,” the affordability crisis is clearly top of mind.
Rising insurance costs cut into buyer affordability Read More »
San Diego-based startup FutureProof is using artificial intelligence (AI) to change the way insurers assess catastrophe risk and set premiums, a shift that could make insurance both more affordable and easier to come by in disaster-prone regions. “FutureProof started with thinking about the build environment and everyone’s homes and businesses,” FutureProof co-founder and co-CEO Alisa
Tech startup offering AI-driven property level risk modeling Read More »
As Hurricane Erin becomes the first hurricane of the 2025 season, homeowners in many parts of the U.S. are already facing double-digit insurance rate hikes, and insurers in some areas continue to pull out altogether. In high-risk, catastrophe-prone regions, homeowners’ premiums are projected to rise more than 15% this year, according to Hub International’s 2025
Hurricane season arrives amid homeowners insurance hikes Read More »
A growing number of U.S. homeowners are finding their only property insurance option is their state’s last-resort program, according to a new report from the National Resources Defense Council (NDRC). Data shows extreme weather driving private insurers from high-risk areas and forcing premiums higher for everyone else. Last resort programs — known as Fair Access
Experts warn of ‘cycle of doom’ for last resort home insurance Read More »
Lawmakers from two wildfire-stricken states put forth a new Senate bill that would mandate mortgage relief for homeowners in the aftermath of natural disasters. Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. and Michael Bennet, D-Colo. introduced the Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act this week aimed at alleviating homeowners’ financial hardship after an extreme weather event. The bill
Senators propose natural-disaster mortgage relief bill Read More »
As Arizona grapples with rapid growth and a changing climate, long-standing groundwater regulations are being tested in courtrooms, boardrooms and booming desert suburbs. Developers and regulators are locked in a deepening dispute over how to manage the state’s finite water supplies — with the future of real estate, agriculture and sustainability hanging in the balance.
Arizona homebuilders challenge groundwater restrictions Read More »