So Cal homeowners: Earthquake stuff

[Loc R.]

So I've been mulling over a couple of things:

1. Earthquake insurance

My initial thoughts are is that it's an unnecessary (perhaps) and expensive (definitely) item. Should an earthquake hit that is big enough to level my house, I would imagine that most houses would be leveled. And in that scenario, the agency wouldn't be able to handle my claim/pay me out, as they would probably go under - even if it is a state agency. In addition, have you seen how they're written? The deductibles are sky-high.

So, instead of an insurance policy, I have then looked at:

2. Earthquake retrofitting

Once again, not sure if it will make a big enough difference to justify the cost. If it makes any difference, my house is at the bottom of a hillside (it butts up to the bottom of it), and my garage is street level, with the living spaces sitting on top of the garage (and crawl space).

Any thoughts would be appreciated.