Kittitas Insurance Issue
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Wildfires are impacting Kittitas County homes, and insurance companies are adjusting their policies. Kittitas REALTORS® are working to protect the American Dream by advocating for fair and accessible Home Insurance.
THE PROBLEM
- Some local homeowner insurance policies are being cancelled—for individual property owners, or whole groups of properties.
- Some local homeowner insurance policies are not being renewed, or the skyrocketing cost of renewing is not affordable.
- Homeowner Insurance is required to obtain a mortgage, or to refinance. Without it, homebuyers could lose out on the opportunity to purchase a home here.
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
Homeowner Insurance companies are attempting to deal with extraordinary claims, often resulting from catastrophic fire-related events, such as:
- Wildfire destruction in urban and suburban areas
- Wildfire destruction in areas not served by fire hydrants
- Destructive loss of individual properties at greater risk
Recording of Washington REALTORS® DBrief Episode on Issurance Issues
Review FAQs from the National Association of REALTORS®
If you receive Fire Factor™ questions from your clients:
- You can explain that real estate professionals are a source of property information, not wildfire experts.
- You can help identify insurance agents, home inspectors, and other local fire risk professionals to answer property-specific questions and identify options to mitigate risk.
- You can also share that a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk, including in many unexpected areas of the country like Florida.
- Risk ratings on Realtor.com® are credible diagnostic tools that can help detect high-risk homes, but they should not be regarded as proof that a wildfire will impact a property.
- As always, avoid making statements beyond your license and training or discouraging customers from considering wildfire data or insurance.
- For property-specific issues, clients should consult a qualified professional, such as a local fire expert, to learn more about how to best protect the home.
- Consumers may also submit more specific questions to the Realtor.com® customer care team at firefeedback@realtor.com.
Presentations with More Information
Download presentations produced by NAR with information on why this is happening, what insurance companies are dealing with, and what REALTORS® can do to help their clients.
