DealShield is currently only offered to representatives and consumers in California, but co-founder and CEO Michael Chien stated the business wants to turn DealShield into a multistate offering by the end of 2026. Chien said Rhino will first focus on states facing environment threat difficulties.
According to Chein, Rhino and DealShield were produced out of a desire to develop a much better experience for those looking for property insurance coverage. It likewise puts a tool in the hands of realty representatives to understand property data, enabling them to better notify and serve their clients.
Offer fallout spurs action
In 2025, the California Association of Realtors reported that one in six members had an offer fall out of escrow due to the fact that the purchaser was unable to secure residential or commercial property insurance coverage– double the share of Realtors who faced this difficulty in 2023.
DealShield evaluates area information, threat danger, disclosure packages, examination reports, photos and other related materials to produce an “Insurability Report.” This supplies representatives and their clients with details on premiums and policies. According to the company, in early testing, DealShield helped two-thirds of homeowners in high-risk areas find residential or commercial property insurance options beyond the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurance provider of last option.
The insurability reports offer agents and consumers with an analysis of property features that could impact a property’s insurability, consisting of the age of the roof, location risks or material threats. If an agent or their customer demands an insurability report or insurance quotes, they are not required to get a Rhino insurance plan.
“We think utilizing DealShield puts us in a position to be the most effective broker a consumer might deal with, however it is not a requirement to utilize us,” Chien stated.
Representatives can onboard themselves into the DealShield platform. They are currently able to browse addresses for free within the platform, however Chien said eventually they plan to charge for the service.
“We have a variety of both noting representatives and buyer’s agents using the item to inform their customers. The noting agents are utilizing it to identify things that may require to be changed or fixed to make your house more insurable and possibly much easier to offer,” Chien stated.
While the item has actually just been offered to select brokers through a beta testing program, the feedback so far has been positive.
‘Tedious process’ made smoother
Heather Gowdy, a real estate representative with Twin Oaks Realty in Walnut Creek, California, stated that looking for insurance coverage quotes can be a “tiresome process.”
To make things simpler for her and her clients, Gowdy has a couple of insurance coverage brokers she usually works with. However through DealShield, she said she’s able to see insurance coverage quotes and insurability threats within minutes.
“I think that it is remarkable to be able to supply possible sellers and buyers with this information because the insurance part of a deal can be such an unknown,” Gowdy stated.
In a market that is currently extremely competitive, Gowdy stated being able to access this info rapidly, enabling her purchasers to send an informed offer on a property in a prompt way, could be a huge benefit.
Additionally, as a listing representative, Gowdy stated being able to supply this details to potential purchasers upfront is a big advantage as it enables both the seller and the buyer to set reasonable expectations going into any prospective transaction.
“The seller then isn’t shocked that a buyer backs out due to the fact that of the cost of insurance, or the purchaser isn’t shocked that they need to change an old wood shingle roofing to get less costly insurance coverage,” she stated.
Looking ahead, Chien said he wishes to launch DealShield for agents in consumers in regions facing flood, hail and even wind damage risk.