By Patric Hedlund, TME

Changes in the homeowners’ insurance industry in California are affecting real estate markets statewide.

“Everybody working together is what we need to prepare as a community and to try to improve our conditions to prevent a fire,” said local realtor and broker Jeff Mowry in an interview on Wednesday, March 11. “Every homeowner and tenant needs to understand what is…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

Sally Kim Westlake, a California Department of Insurance compliance officer, explained to Mountain Community neighbors how state legislative changes could save local homeowners thousands of dollars. She also told how those on fixed incomes can get caught by the insurance squeeze.

For many here, their homes in these beautiful mountains really are “the end of the rainbow.” This lovely sight in Pine Mountain Tuesday is a reminder of how much we want to keep our homes and our communities safe. Learning about ‘fire wise communities and fire-hardening homes” will help us all do that.

The sweep of wind-driven fire across mountain slopes is a mesmerizing and horrifying spectacle seen, as in this image from 2018, all too often in California. Now we are all getting smarter, and homeowners are ready to invest in home hardening. Towns are learning about becoming Fire-Wise Communities. Simultaneously, the insurance industry is being asked by regulators at the CDI to extend greater fairness to their customers.

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This is part of the March 13, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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