News

Like with everyone else, the recent temblors have got you thinking about how any Orange County home that you’d buy would survive an earthquake. After all, every day that passes without the Big One hitting only increases the chances it will happen.

Consider what could go on if you bought a used home, especially an older one. Unreinforced masonry foundations could crack, damaging the structures above them. Unreinforced walls and chimneys could collapse, burying you and your family under tons of rubble. If your house was built in a liquefaction zone, the ground underneath you could dissolve into mush, swallowing everything above it.

By and large, these are worries you don’t need to have with a new home, which is built with the lessons of previous earthquakes in place. Southern California uses the strictest building codes and zoning laws to ensure any new construction survives temblors. Rest-assured that our new homes follow all these standards.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t take steps to prepare for any major shaking. Strap any tall pieces of furniture, such as shelves, to the walls behind it using kits you can buy in any home center store. Create an emergency supplies kit that contains enough food and water to last at least 72 hours. Know where you can all meet in the event an earthquake strikes when you’re away from home.

If you’d like to tour one of our new homes to see first-hand how they’re built to withstand earthquakes, please contact us.