Home On Earthquake Fault Zone: Buy or Not?? (Fremont, Hayward: real estate, insurance)

[eezxs]

Hello Everyone,
I found a house in Warm Springs, Fremont that I really like. It states in the disclosure that the "house is located ON Alquist Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone". I want to know my risks before I can move forward with the transactions.
Should I look for other property not on Fault Line.
Thanks!!


sitarah07@yahoo.com

[sonarrat]

Alquist Priolo Special Studies Zone Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - that's some background on why you received the disclosure. So there were quakes which severely damaged homes in the recent past. Unfortunately earthquake insurance is expensive and carries an exorbitantly high deductible, though if you're living in a high risk area, it may seem like a small price to pay compared with losing it all. There are however effective retrofits you can perform which will greatly reduce the risk of serious damage, and they're not terribly expensive.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Fault zone and on an actual fault are two different things. Prior to buying, hire a geologist to assess the parcel. That assessment report would include a geological map, which would show the locations of known fault traces. A fault trace under the parcel is clearly a no go, as a surface rupture would damage the foundation beyond repair, forcing you to jack up the house and build a new foundation. That's at least a 150 - 200K proposition were it to occur.

Also, just FYI, with the Hayward and Calaveras Faults (one of which is responsible for that disclosure) there are two modes of motion, some areas experience normal earthquake slips (e.g. infrequent, more radical events) and other areas experience creep. Both will ultimately wipe out the foundation of any structure built directly over the fault, but obviously creep happens over a longer period of time.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by eezxs

Hello Everyone,
I found a house in Warm Springs, Fremont that I really like. It states in the disclosure that the "house is located ON Alquist Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone". I want to know my risks before I can move forward with the transactions.
Should I look for other property not on Fault Line.
Thanks!!

I'd go for it. If you survive the "big one" you might end up with ocean-front property!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Impact of fault creep on foundation:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_90ESg_gcYq...0/DSCN2845.JPG

Note the "S" shaped bend. Eventually this foundation will need to be replaced.

[EZrhythm]

If your not going to mind going with a contingency plan if a big one hits, GO FOR IT!

[AndrewSoss]

How much of a down payment are you putting on the property?

The more you put down, the more earthquake insurance would make sense.

[Chelito23]

You have to remember the odds here...there will most likely be one or a couple of quakes (major) in the Bay Area during the rest of your life. These may happen on totally unrelated faults. Or they may happen on this one. In any event, look at the area, it has been around for sometime and everything is still standing...I would say yes, take the risk. Don't go with the quake insurance, the deductibles are too high and this would only come in handy assuming sometihng catastrophic were to ocurr right below your house.

Just proceed cautiously, have a geologist give you his professional opinion about the gynamics of the lot and remember this is California, earthquake country.

[DMenscha]

Real estate agents are required to provide you with a copy of the "Homeowners Guide to Earthquake Safety"

You can download it at http://www.seismic.ca.gov/sscpub.htm (broken link)