Should I be worried about buying a house up on a hill or near a hill in Los Angeles? (Woodland: insurance)

[AChillDude]

Would you take into consideration the fact that a house on a hill or near a hill could be potentially worse affected when an earthquake hits or I am overreacting?

I was checking out homes on La Roda Ave in Eagle Rock, very nice area and somewhat affordable but very mountainous nearby, got me wondering if buying something there would backfire once a big quake strikes

What do you think?

[Texamichiforniasota]

Here are some considerations for hillside homes, though I don't know much about that specific area of Eagle Rock:

Pros-
Nice views
Can get a nice breeze
More unique architecture than in the flats, as each lot has its own unique challenges to development.
Often quieter neighborhoods, with more dead ends and less cut through traffic, unless you live by a tourist attraction or hiking area.

Cons:
Trying to add on to a house can require prohibitively expensive excavation and retaining wall construction.
Lack of usuable yard space.
Increased seismic risk (those hills were formed by earthquake activity, and there are generally faults running next to them). The risk varies by fault, some haven't had activity for thousands of years. Others go off every few hundred years. If an active fault runs close enough to your house, you may be prevented from major construction on your home. Of course, there are faults in the flats as well, so I don't know that the risk is that much worse for the hills. Research geological maps of the area.
Landslide risk. This is something I would worry about more that earthquakes. Check the map to look for areas with landslide risk https://geohub.lacity.org/datasets/3...8.196%2C34.143 I am not familiar with Eagle Rock, but I know some areas in the Hollywood Hills have issues with lanslides. I remember when I was house hunting a while back, I saw a home listed in the Hollywood Hills for about 1/3 of the price of nearby homes. It was on an area of slow landslide, and the foundation had gotten crushed, so the home was red-tagged and being sold for the lot only. It didn't go into escrow while I was passively and then actively house hunting for several months.
Wildfire risk- Wildfires tend to burn uphill, though they'll go whatever direction wind blows them. It might be a good idea to get an insurance quote for whatever property you ate seriously considering.

All that being said, there are many great houses in the hills and I think the risk is probably not too much worse than the flats for most hillside homes.

[looker009]

At this point you should wait to buy anything. Real UI might be nationally as high as 25%

[Bamaman1]

My cousin built a rather expensive home in Woodland Hills, and they put in some extras to combat earthquakes. The neighborhood was simply wrecked with an earthquake, and few neighbors had earthquake insurance.

She had the entire neighborhood hanging around her swimming pool--the only one holding water locally. They didn't have any place to bathe.

I'd avoid most hillsides. My cousin was just off Topanga Canyon Road, and they also had to worry about brush fires coming over that mountain.

[DabOnEm]

Think the only time an earthquake will really affect you in the hills is if it's the fault underneath your home that erupted. Typically homes higher up in elevation due to hills feel less vibrations than the valley areas due to all the land between them and the rupture. Landslides would scare me though cause all it can be caused by earthquakes, heavy rains, or fires.

[MrIndependent]

Hilly areas are at higher risk of wildfires and landslides than non-hilly areas.
I love visiting the hilly areas, but I won't live within 1 mile of them if I have the choice.

[stub303]

I'd be more concerned with overpaying as the market was overdue for a significant correction even before Covid. I would wait a year to see the economic impact on the housing market. It's already softening.

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by stub303

I'd be more concerned with overpaying as the market was overdue for a significant correction even before Covid. I would wait a year to see the economic impact on the housing market. It's already softening.

This. Seeing price cuts of 20-40k+ all over the place in the last month.

[tommy64]

Driving in the hills sucks. The roads are usually narrow with sharp blind turns. Steep grades that're slippery when it rains. And forget about taking a leisurely walk.