The recent Kobe, Japan disaster is another reminder of how vulnerable we are to earthquakes.

Although we may not care to admit it, many of us walk the path of least resistance. Perhaps others of us have a fatalistic point of view. After the Loma Prieta and Northridge quakes, few showed an active interest in potential earthquake hazards, either in the region or in their home. Similarly, I have not observed any noticeable movement on the part of buyers or sellers to consider earthquake retrofitting of older homes an important issue. I make this statement from my own experience in sales, as well as my many years as a real estate sales manager reviewing well over a thousand escrow files of other agents. My conversations with other managers and agents substantiate these observations.

The average buyer may get excited about greenhouse windows, a nice, new deck, or a hot tub, but may not see the significance or value in a professional, high quality retrofitting job. The operative word here is "see." Decks and hot tubs are readily visible; bolts, braces and shearwall panels are not.

If you owned a home with an actively leaking roof, repairing it would be a priority. The same holds for electrical, plumbing, heating or drainage problems. All of these are important whether or nor you intend to sell your home. For a buyer, they are among the items looked at in a standard property inspection. Earthquake retrofitting is included in this list.

In 1991, the California Legislature passed a law requiring sellers of homes built before 1960 to provide buyers with a completed Residential Earthquake Hazards Report and a copy of The Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety. The latter booklet points out to buyers that they, "...may wish to negotiate the cost of strengthening with the seller." It also counsels sellers, "If you strengthen your house's earthquake weaknesses before you sell, you may get a better price for your house." Although still fairly uncommon, I believe home prices will reflect the presence or absence of earthquake retrofitting measures more and more as both buyers and sellers realize its importance. Retrofitting costs can vary from as low as $2500 to well over $10,000, depending on the size of the home, what needs to be done and how far you want to go in reinforcing the property.

Besides the health and safety issues, there is another point to retrofitting. Most of the few remaining insurance companies still writing new homeowner's insurance in California are requiring earthquake retrofitting to varying degrees. Since insurance is necessary for all buyer loans on residential property, and since the majority of buyers need a loan, retrofitting will often be a factor in residential real estate sales.

Unfortunately, earthquake planning is treated by many in the same way as taxes: people wait until the very last minute and then scramble. Of course, this does not leave enough time to plan or do a thorough job. The obvious difference between putting off taxes and earthquake preparedness is that taxes are always due on the same date, but no one knows when the "big one" will hit. Is procrastination worth that risk? Have you heard the expression, "Procrastination is death on the installment plan?"

If you own a home that is not retrofitted, you have at least three good reasons to consider having it done as soon as possible: 1) the safety of you and your family; 2) the protection of your investment; 3) the possibly increased value of the property after retrofitting. As we all know, living in the Bay Area entails some risks. Different parts of the U.S. have different risks. Where we live, the potential and reality of earthquakes comes with the territory. Contrary to common sense, we have built on or around major earthquake faults.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is a 67 percent chance of at least one magnitude 7 or higher earthquake in the Bay Area in the next twenty-five years. Their earthquake publication, The Next Big Earthquake, indicates noteworthy "pairs" of earthquakes of 6.5 magnitude or larger in northern Califomia. There is concern that "...Loma Prieta could be the first quake of such a pair." One clear conclusion by the USGS was that "...actions can be taken now to reduce the amount of damage and the number of deaths that are likely to result from future major earthquakes." Strengthening our homes to better withstand an earthquake is obviously at the very top of any list of preventative actions. We have been warned.