Fire on the Mountain

Though I am rather a glass full and overflowing kind of gal, I am noticing that the topics that come to me here are rather gloom doomish. If you have seen a local disclosure package, you'll know it is quite lengthy, and if you actually read it all, you may worry that owning property here at the golden gate is fraught with peril. 

OHExpress

Fortunately, any given property is unlikely to be subject to all of the perils outlined in disclosure packages, and if you take the time to educate yourself (and /or have a great realtor) ahead of time, you can avoid or ameliorate problematic issues, or at least choose which risks to take. 

JDubrasky Hazard Disclosures

Hiking on the mountain and smelling the chemise and coyote brush reminds me that we are now in the fire season for our area, so today's subject is choosing real estate with fire in mind.

NPS.gov

The WUI zone is where structures and other "human development meet and intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels." In other words, houses surrounded by wildland plant life.

NIST

Though I am a plant nerd, and love the feeling of luxuriant vegetation, in our mediterranean climate, where we get little to no rain during the summer, vegetation dries out and becomes tinder by September/ October, just waiting for a spark to set it off.  On the coast the fog keeps things moist, so the fire prone areas are more inland in the hotter locations such as Novato and the eastern slopes of Mt. Tam. 

DreamNotof Today

Much of Marin's wonderfulness is due to the fact that almost anywhere in the county you can walk to open space of some kind: Marin County Open Space, Marin Municiple Water District, Mt. Tam State Park, Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 

Marin County

Since much of these open space area's contain fire dependent vegetation, fire is a natural part of life in these area's. Property ownership within these plant communities comes with the likelihood of fire at some point. As people have increasingly moved into fire prone areas, fire protection costs have become prohibitive. Here's info about the new state fire protection fee. 

Firewise

While defensible space is key to protecting your property in a WUI zone, it is good to consider location first and foremost. Understanding basic fire behavior is important if you are looking at property adjacent to fire prone wildlands. 

hphanson

Moving into a high fire danger location, and then mowing down all the vegetation that makes the place magical in the first place, may not be the most practical (not to mention ecological) approach. In certain locations, defensible space will not protect you. Personally, I would especially avoid owning property at the top of a narrow or box canyon, in chaparral, no matter how gorgeous the views. If you insist, maybe build your house with stone, steel, or concrete.

Montana.edu

Water Flowing Underground

My hat is off to Bernalwood, one of my favorite local blogs, not only for their fabulous reportage that often cracks me up, but for their latest post that so beautifully ties up several of my favorite interconnected subjects: topography, history, and infrastructure. So very helpful also is their earlier post on how to navigate the transition to a "more happy" Cesar Chavez.

David Rumsey

Here's a cool tool to find out if property you are considering is on top of a creek. Most creeks in San Francisco are underground in pipes at this point, though there are some small movements to daylight some of them.

Museum Ca

In San Francisco, the storm drains and sewers all run in the same pipes and are managed by the SF Public Utilities Commision.  In Marin, sewer systems are managed by individual districts, with several combining forces to work as larger districts.

San Pablo

There have been some terrible sewage spills in Marin in the last few years, leading to a requirement in some cities that sewer laterals be inspected at point of sale. Other cities offer incentives for lateral repair.  Whether required to or not, it is always a good idea to have the sewer lateral inspected if you are purchasing a single family home in a community served by a sewer system. It is much more fun to negotiate a reduction in purchase price, then to be surprised by a costly repair after closing.  

Eureka

In rural areas, septic systems are used for household waste instead. Inspections are vital for these as well. Besides the obvious health hazards (to your family, your neighbors and the environment) of a failing system,  the capacity of your septic system will have bearing on any expansion you may plan for your house in the future.

Sunday Streets and Getting Around the Golden Gate

While I love being a Realtor for so many reasons, holding Sunday open houses has sure limited my Sunday Streets participation. By the time I change out of Realtor garb and get on my bike, things are usually pretty well over, and the streets are being opened to cars again.

Bike NOPA

Ah well, there's one more this year. Perhaps I can swing an open house in the Mission on October 23rd, and there's always car free weekends in Golden Gate Park, thanks to the SF Bike Coalition. 

SFGate

The Golden Gate Bridge cycling situation is still a bit of a mess. Thanks to the Marin County Bicycling Coalition for their efforts to mitigate said mess. Here's the place to get updates from the GG Bridge District. 


The big 75th anniversary celebration preparation is underway, and the Golden Gate Parks Conservancy's Trails Forever is working to connect the newish Bay Trail at Battery East bike lane to a more functional multi-use path under the bridge to the coastal bluffs along Lincoln Blvd. 

SF Streets

The Golden Gate Bridge is much beloved and can get very crowded, even without massive road (and trail) reconstruction. Through some inexplicable collective unconscious process, it seems like every access road north and south and the bridge itself is undergoing major change. Having worked with several of the agencies involved, I know this has to do with funding timing and other factors out of their individual control. It is not part of a conspiracy to torture us, though it sure can seem that way.

Alas, we must all be patient, and eventually all the repair and reconstruction of roads around the golden gate will be completed. In the meantime, here's a couple more places to go for updates. 


Marin Headlands


Doyle Drive ("Presidio Parkway")


and for your sartorial inspiration- Cycle Chic

Sacramento Press

Shake-y Shake-y Part 2

OK, now we can turn back to seismic subjects, now that Hurricane Irene has spared my daughter, and the time for earthquake weather is approaching. Though there is little data to support this concept, the especially warm weather that we typically get in September and October often feels a little ominous to me. I guess this is because in my lifetime, both earthquakes and fires have occurred during these periods of stillness or offshore (Diablo- devil) winds that come when the summer fog wall loosens its grip. 

Purdue University

Back to fire danger later. In the context of real estate here and our ongoing bio-geographic risk assessment, the overall message (that most of us have gotten already) is that we live in an earthquake prone locale. "The Bay Area straddles the boundary where two of the Earth’s largest tectonic plates meet and slowly move past one another. When boundary faults break and the North American and Pacific Plates lurch past each other, quakes occur." Most of us have heard of the San Andreas and the Hayward faults, which are the biggies, and there are lots of others. 

KVEC

Earthquake insurance is expensive and limited. Before purchasing property here you'll want to look at the hazard maps for property location. Also look at the foundation and type of construction of the building. Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country, and the Bay Area Governments Earthquake and Hazards Program are worth a look for sure. 

When you are looking at condo's with high HOA dues, find out what they include. Typically they include building insurance among other things. Sometimes they are high due to earthquake insurance, which some buildings do not carry due to high cost and high deductibles.

USGS

Beware especially the brick foundation. If it has not been seismically retrofited, or replaced, you will want to have an engineering inspection done during your inspection period and get an estimate of what it will cost to bring the building up to code. Some homeowners take the opportunity to add a garage when they do this, which adds quite a bit of value, especially in certain neighborhoods. Parking can be so precious, especially in the city, but also on many steep, narrow, twisty roads in Marin. Of course this requires a permit, and is not cheap. 


For now though, wishing you all a safe, restful, fun holiday weekend, sans natural disasters!

Allaboutnews