Buying
Field notes tagged “Buying”.
The Risk Under the House
America's thirty-year fixed mortgage works because the government stands behind roughly half of all home loans — and the fee for that guarantee is the same whether the house sits on a ridge or in a floodway. The Congressional Budget Office prices the difference at hundreds of millions of dollars a year, paid by the public.
What You Can Still Do to Lower Fire Premiums
California's insurer of last resort now itemizes twelve wildfire hardening discounts, worth up to 16.4 percent of the wildfire share of a premium. Behind that price list is a 2022 regulation that split a home's fire risk into two parts: where the house sits, and what its owner has done about it. Only one of those is fixed.
The Discount You Can't Earn Alone
Marin County had nine recognized Firewise sites in 2017. It has about ninety now. Behind that curve is a regulation that made one neighbor's brush clearing worth money to the house next door — and turned a favor between neighbors into an underwriting fact.
The House Was Never the Scarce Part
In October 2025, a signature on a water designation — the first of its kind in the Phoenix metro in 25 years — cleared the way for 60,000 homes. Not a housing bill; a water approval. That's the tell about how the desert grows now.
The Map Is Part of the Price
Two houses on one hillside can carry two prices because a state map line runs between them. Researchers measured the gap: about 4.3 percent on average, widening near the boundary. Then, in 2025, California redrew the maps.
Beyond the Coast: The Climate Risks Inland Buyers Overlook
Most people picture climate risk as a coastline — hurricanes and rising seas. So they buy inland and feel safe. But the risks growing fastest are landlocked, and they reprice a home the same way the water does.
Don't Let a Forever Home Put You Forever at Risk
Buying a house can be one of the most emotional financial decisions any of us make — harmless with room in the budget, dangerous when the feeling has you stretching to buy and to own a home you mean to keep forever. A story from the Berkeley hills about what emotion can hide.
The Costs a Listing Won't Show You
Price, beds, square footage — a listing tells you the cost to buy. The costs that decide whether it's actually a good deal are the ones it leaves out.