Pre-purchase due diligence
Buy the hillside home with your eyes open
Pre-purchase wildfire risk due diligence for Los Angeles luxury and hillside homes: hazard zone, fire history, insurability outlook, and the true cost to harden, delivered before escrow closes.
Or start with a free address risk check
Insurability is the new first question
In LA's hillside markets, the deal-breaker moved. It used to be the foundation report. Since the Palisades and Eaton fires, it is whether the home can be insured at all, and at what price. Major carriers have pulled back from high-hazard ZIP codes, surplus lines premiums on high-value homes run into the tens of thousands a year, and the FAIR Plan's coverage limits sit far below what a luxury rebuild actually costs.
Buyers' agents now put insurance next to inspection in the contingency timeline. But a quote only tells you the price today. It does not tell you what the property will cost to harden, what Zone 0 compliance will require in the first years of ownership, or which fixes would move the home into a better insurance position. That gap between the quote and the truth is what this service closes.
What the report covers
One document, built for the escrow window, that answers what the listing photos never will.
Hazard zone and fire history
The parcel's CAL FIRE hazard designation, whether state or local fire rules apply, and every recorded fire within striking distance, so you know what the maps say before the seller's disclosure does.
Zone 0 and AB 38 exposure
What California's new 5-foot ember-resistant zone rules and the AB 38 sale-time inspection mean for this specific property, and roughly what compliance will cost after you own it.
Hardening gap list with cost ranges
A walkthrough of vents, roof edges, decks, fencing, and vegetation with a prioritized fix list and realistic cost ranges, the number a general inspection report never gives you.
Insurability outlook
How carriers are likely to see the property: what helps, what hurts, which mitigation steps unlock Safer from Wildfires discounts, and whether IBHS Wildfire Prepared certification is realistic. We map the landscape and work alongside your insurance broker, we do not sell insurance.
Negotiation-ready documentation
Findings in writing, with photos and cost estimates you can bring to the negotiating table. A five-figure hardening gap discovered during escrow is leverage; the same gap discovered after close is just a bill.
Built to fit an escrow timeline
Instant address read
We start with the data: hazard zone, fire history, and insurance trends for the parcel, the same day you ask.
On-site walkthrough
We walk the property like an ember would find it: vents, roof lines, decks, fences, slopes, and the first 5 feet.
Written report inside your window
Findings, prioritized fixes, cost ranges, and the insurability outlook, delivered in days to fit an escrow timeline.
If you buy, we handle the work
RF1 coordinates the hardening scope end to end, vents, Zone 0, fencing, roof edges, and builds the documentation your insurer wants to see.
For buyers' agents
If you represent buyers in the Palisades, Malibu, Bel Air, the Hollywood Hills, La Cañada, or Montecito, wildfire questions are now part of every showing. A buyer-side due diligence report answers them with documentation instead of reassurance, keeps deals alive by turning surprises into negotiating points, and gives your client a plan for day one of ownership.
RF1 works alongside your inspection and insurance contacts, not in place of them. One walkthrough, a written report, and a coordinator your client can keep after close. Introduce yourself and we will make you look thorough.
Common questions
Can you deliver inside an escrow timeline?
Yes. The address-level read starts the same day, and the walkthrough and written report are built to land within a typical inspection contingency window. Tell us your close date and we work backward from it.
Is this the same as an AB 38 inspection?
No, and the difference matters. AB 38 is the seller's obligation, a defensible space compliance check at sale time. This is buyer-side due diligence: what the property will cost to harden, insure, and keep compliant after you own it. We cover the AB 38 status as part of the report.
Do you sell or broker insurance?
No. We assess the property, estimate what mitigation unlocks which discounts, and hand your broker documented facts to shop with. Insurability decisions belong to carriers; our job is making sure the property shows its best case.
Is this only for luxury homes?
No. The stakes are highest on hillside and canyon estates where premiums and rebuild costs are largest, but the same due diligence applies to any home in a high or very high fire hazard zone, from Altadena to Montecito.
What does it cost?
Scope depends on the property, so we quote a flat fee up front after a short call, before you commit. The free address-level risk read costs nothing and tells you whether the deeper dive is worth it.
Pre-purchase due diligence across LA's hillside markets
RF1 coordinates wildfire hardening for homes from Pasadena and Altadena through the foothills, canyons, and coast to Santa Barbara. See how we work in your area:
- Altadena
- Pasadena
- La Cañada Flintridge
- Sierra Madre
- Malibu
- Topanga
- Pacific Palisades
- Brentwood
- Bel Air
- Calabasas
- Montecito
- Agoura Hills
- Thousand Oaks
- Santa Barbara
- Ojai
- Carpinteria
- La Crescenta
- Burbank Hills
- Hollywood Hills
Looking for hands-on defensible space help? Defensible space contractor for Los Angeles or browse all assessment areas.
In escrow on a hillside home?
Tell us the close date. We will work backward from it.