Environmental History and Real Estate

Business Insider SF Real Estate Market Explosion 

It's no secret that San Francisco Real Estate is hot hot hot, and Marin is not far behind in terms of multiple offers well over asking. The bidding war is just part of life now, alas. If you are focused and can afford to compete, I can help get your offer accepted, or if you want to sell I can help you do so smoothly and efficiently. Don't sell with out a good plan in place, as selling is soooo much easier then buying right now. My esteemed colleagues and reporters have covered the changing real estate landscape  very well, so I'll stick to my obsession with earth based real estate.

This fabulous article, via Richmond Blog from the wonderful Outside Lands folks, sums up how water shaped the development of the western side of the city. Of course water and topography also shaped the development of the rest of the city and Marin, and historical development across the globe.

Topography has a powerful influence on microclimates, on earthquake risk, tsunami risk, underground creek issues, even how well your plumbing works. Location is the one thing you cannot change when you buy property, and it is easy to forget that the earth is still underneath all this built environment we live in.

So, as you gird your loins to enter the fray, pull focus a little on that property you are so excited about. Will the climate suit you when the dust of the escrow settles? Is it in a landslide or flood zone? Will you be able to grow the things you want to grow, or will you have to spend extra on earthquake or flood insurance? Flood insurance rates are rising fast, but that's for another post.

Bold Italic - Microclimates

If you already own property here, and are staying put but curious, or renting and curious, the San Francisco Library has tips for researching buildings, and Nature in the City put together a wonderful nature map of the city. If you are in the market, though things are moving fast and furiously these days, do be sure review the Natural Hazard Disclosures, to be sure you know about long term environmental realities you may not notice underneath the fresh paint and newly refinished floors.

SF Rec and Park, Nature in the City

Happy Spring!

Extreme Weather and Real Estate

Like a Hurricane

Inhabitat

Well, hurricanes seem to have supplanted earthquakes in urgency level for me, particularly since my daughter is in Brooklyn.  Thankfully, she is not living in an evacuation area.. Though I usually focus on the golden gate here, it's clear it's all one planet when it comes to weather and loved ones. Its also clear that real estate concerns seem pretty trivial when lives are in danger, so my prayers are with everyone encountering extremes of all kinds, all over this magnificent globe.

Tree Hugger

Meanwhile, in today's risk assessment for real estate (excellent distraction for a the worried Mom in me) we have more maps  (yay!) of San Francisco and Marin to identify potential danger zones for flooding, which is obviously very bad for property value and building health. Flooding here at the golden gate could be caused by a tsunami or by a severe winter storm and may be exacerbated by high tides/heavy rain/dam failure/pipe failure or any combination thereof.  When purchasing property in historically flooded areas, you'll want your inspectors to alert you to any residual damage or moisture that could continue to have negative impact on the building.

Museum CA

The good news is that to some extent one can predict areas of greater or lesser vulnerability to inundation, (hint: water flows downhill)  and though of course all bets are off in the big picture of climate change, still there are many areas of higher ground to consider in your real estate search. The tough trade-off  for so many of us who love the sea, is that property near the water comes with the possibility it will become property IN the water.

Is flood insurance neccessary?

SF Dam Failure Inundation Zones

SF Tsunami Inundation Maps

Marin County Tsunami Inundation Maps

Tsunami Risk Zone (scroll down for the map)

FEMA Map tools This is a huge data set, and requires a fast internet connection, but you can make your local map and save it. Companies like JCP will put this, and some of the data above, in a disclosure package which the Listing agent will have to offer interested buyers, but if you are the kind who'd like to take a look before you formally inquire about a specific property, this can be worth the effort.

livescience