Whenever you deal with real estate, there are always choices and tradeoffs that buyers must make before considering a property. I recently had a client who wanted to live on flat land near the water in San Francisco with Bay views. I then had to deliver to her the bad news that most of the flat land with Bay views in San Francisco has been built on landfill and is in liquefaction zones. 

What happens during earthquakes is that the shockwaves get magnified when earthquakes hit landfill or soft soil.  Here’s an example:

My client had to make a choice between being on flat land with beautiful Bay water views and living in a liquefaction zone, or living on a hill on solid bedrock with Bay views.

Additionally there are ways for her to minimize the financial risks associated with living in a liquefaction zone by buying a property that has earthquake insurance. She has some interesting choices to make, as do most buyers of property in San Francisco.