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The honest $25K–$75K breakdown most contractors won't put in writing.

Those two things are happening at the same time. Many people assume that because more insurance companies are expanding in California, older homes will automatically become easier to insure. I don’t believe that’s what we’re going to see. What I expect is a more competitive market with more disciplined underwriting. That’s an important distinction. For decades, underwriting focused heavily on where a property was located. Today, insurers increasingly evaluate how the property

The California Department of Insurance has announced that more insurers are expanding their footprint throughout the state, and FAIR Plan growth has slowed considerably. Those are meaningful indicators that competition is beginning to return. However, increased competition doesn’t eliminate disciplined underwriting. It amplifies it. For Bay Area housing built before 1960, insurers are increasingly differentiating between properties based on their actual risk profile. They’re

Too many buyers, sellers, and even experienced real estate professionals still evaluate a property the way they did five years ago. That approach no longer works. Insurance underwriting has become far more technical. Underwriters increasingly evaluate the age and condition of a home’s electrical infrastructure because it directly affects risk. Active knob-and-tube wiring, Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger panels, fuse panels, and aluminum branch wiring can materially influe