Tag Archives: fires

Updated Analysis from CoreLogic Shows 23,044 Homes at High or Extreme Risk Inside Wildfire Perimeters

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Reconstruction Cost Value totals more than $8 billion

Irvine, CA – November 16, 2018 (BUSINESS WIRE) CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released updated data analysis showing 23,044 homes with a total reconstruction cost value (RCV) of approximately $8.6 billion are at high or extreme risk of wildfire damage within the perimeters of the Camp Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey Fire in Southern California.

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Due to the increased containment of these two wildfires, CoreLogic has revised the area of analysis from ZIP code regions to the actual wildfire perimeters. This provides a more precise evaluation of the risk associated with these wildfires. The tables below break down the risk and corresponding RCV for structures affected by each wildfire and its associated perimeter. RCVs represent the cost to completely rebuild a property in the worst-case scenario of total destruction of the structure, including labor and materials by geographic location. While other hazards may cause partial destruction but rarely eliminate an entire property, wildfire events are more likely to cause total loss to structures affected.

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Understanding the Data:

The tables calculate the number of homes at high or extreme risk from wildfire damage within the perimeter and quantify the risk of homes just outside of the perimeter for both the Camp and Woolsey Fires. However, due to the unpredictable nature of wildfires, it is important to note that even within the perimeter, not all homes will suffer damage; of those that do suffer damage, the damage will not all be equivalent.

Following the containment of the wildfires, CoreLogic will assess the damage and provide a post-catastrophe loss estimate for these areas. For more information visit the CoreLogic natural hazard risk information center, Hazard HQ™, at www.hazardhq.com to get access to the most up-to-date wildfire data and see reports from previous catastrophes.

Methodology

The CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Score is a deterministic wildfire model which is as comprehensive as it is granular. It covers 15 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. It evaluates the risk of a property to wildfire by returning an easy-to-understand, normalized 5 to 100 score, giving insight into the potential risk of a wildfire. It considers slope, aspect, vegetation/fuel, and surface composition as well as proximity to higher risk areas that could affect the property via windblown embers. These factors are all weighted differently and combine to form the score.

Source: CoreLogic

The data provided are for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient’s publication or broadcast. This data may not be resold, republished or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient’s parent company without prior written permission from CoreLogic. Any CoreLogic data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from CoreLogic, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany first reference of the data. If the data is illustrated with maps, charts, graphs or other visual elements, the CoreLogic logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis or interpretation of the data, contact Alyson Austin at newsmedia@corelogic.com or Caitlin New at corelogic@ink-co.com. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of CoreLogic. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner. This data is compiled from public records, contributory databases and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources.

About CoreLogic

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The company’s combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

CORELOGIC, the CoreLogic logo and Hazard HQ are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts

Media Contacts:
Alyson Austin
Corporate Communications
(949) 214-1414
newsmedia@corelogic.com

Caitlin New
INK Communications
(512) 906-9103
corelogic@ink-co.com

Redfin Report: Wildfires Threaten $1.5 Trillion Worth of Homes in the United States

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Housing Markets in California’s Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara Counties are at the Greatest Risk of Wildfire Destruction but Local Homebuyers are Not Deterred

SEATTLE, Feb. 5, 2018 (PRNewswire) (NASDAQ: RDFN) — Wildfires threaten $1.5 trillion worth of homes in the United States, representing a disproportionately large portion–7.7 percent–of U.S. housing value, according to Redfin, (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage. The counties at the greatest risk–California’s Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara–are among the country’s most expensive housing markets and are already plagued by ongoing inventory shortages. But local real estate agents say the wildfire risk is not deterring homebuyers from continuing to put down roots in these communities.

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“People who are still in shock from losing their homes and possessions from the October fires are greeting one another at open houses while comparing notes on the hotels or rentals where they are temporarily living,” said Redfin Santa Rosa agent Starling Scholz. “People view wildfire risk as a price of living in California that’s well worth the rewards: beautiful weather, nature and well-paying jobs.”

Below are the top 10 counties for risk of wildfire destruction, ranked according to the estimated total value of homes at risk. To be considered, there had to have been at least five major fires recorded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the county since 1960. Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Clara counties top the list, which is dominated by California counties. The only non-California counties to make the list were Harris and Dallas counties in Texas and Clark county in Nevada. California is so predominant in the ranking not only because of the state’s high frequency of wildfires, but also because of its desirable, expensive housing markets. If demand for homes in these places doesn’t subside, inventory shortages and affordability crises in these places will likely continue as wildfires inevitably destroy more homes each year.

Top 10 U.S. Counties for Fire Risk

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“Restrictive zoning and underbuilding make wildfires even more damaging for homeowners and renters in affected areas. Despite strong demand and severe inventory shortages, California has built the fewest number of homes per new resident of any state, with just one unit for every four new residents, compared to one new unit for every 1.8 new residents nationally,” said Redfin chief economist Nela Richardson. “When people whose homes just burned down are jumping back into bidding wars to buy new homes in the same area, you know wildfires alone won’t cool these competitive markets. However, California’s chronic lack of homes and eroding affordability make recovering from a natural disaster much more challenging than in states like Texas with more adequate housing supply.”

Redfin Santa Barbara agent John Venti has noticed that while wildfires certainly pose a risk to homes, California’s overall affordability is a bigger concern for homebuyers.

“I was touring with clients last month, and in the 15 minutes it took to see the home, our cars were completely covered in ash from nearby wildfires,” said Venti. “The homebuyers were not fazed. If anything, people are more often deterred from buying homes in this area by high gas prices and high taxes than wildfires.”

For the people who are still interested in buying homes in wildfire zones, Venti has some advice.

“It’s important to get a fire insurance quote before falling in love with a home,” he said. “We’ve had people and properties receive exorbitantly high quotes for fire insurance. Others were flat-out denied coverage because the home was too risky or the buyer had a large outstanding claim from a previous fire. California FAIR Plan property insurance may be able to provide insurance for homes that have been denied coverage.”

The full report, complete with a detailed methodology, can be found here: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2018/02/wildfires-threaten-1-5-trillion-worth-of-homes-in-the-united-states.html.

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer’s favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country’s #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry’s lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $50 billion in home sales.