Hi Martin,

For some reason people think its expensive to retrofit a home that hasn't been. Actually for a single story, wood frame home, with a solid perimeter foundation, it costs no more than to put a deck on a home, and in some cases less. If one is a do it yourselfer, it can be as low as $200.00.

I talk to people about this almost daily. When I remind them without the retrofit they may not only lose the house, but everything inside, due to fire and broken water pipes. Then the possibility of injuries is great and loss of life. Somehow this seems to make the picture a little more clear.

For most, a home is the single greatest investment in life. With retrofit and earthquake insurance, you can recover. Though some will say the deductible is to high, remember that FEMA only provides $100,000 in relief with an 8% interest rate. In CA not nearly enough to rebuild anything. So why not borrow the deductible and put everything back, rather than risk losing it all? This is where senior citizens and young homebuyers need to take caution. A new homebuyer can lose of it because they don't have enough cash or borrowing power to take on another mortgage. With Senior citizens, usually the home is their asset that pays for senior care when they need it and they are to old to borrow money. It costs between $36,000 and $52,000 a year for senior care. They need their nest egg for sure.

Though they say ignorance is bliss, actually that's not true. If people don't go to the doctor and get regular check ups, then not knowing may be the death blow. Preparing for earthquakes doesn't mean you're going to die, but the way you will live in the future, may be decided by the financial decisions made today.

From North of The Golden Gate...Petra Challus