DealShield is currently only available to agents and consumers in California, but founder and CEO Michael Chien said the company hopes to turn DealShield into a multi-state offering by the end of 2026. Chien said Rhino will begin focusing on regions facing climate risk challenges.
According to Chein, Rhino and DealShield were created out of a desire to create a better experience for those looking for local insurance. It also puts a tool in the hands of real estate agents to make sense of real estate data, enabling them to better inform and serve their clients.
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By 2025, the California Association of Realtors reported that one in six members had an agreement go into escrow because the buyer couldn’t get property insurance – double the share of Realtors who faced this challenge in 2023.
DealShield analyzes location data, accident risk, disclosure packets, test reports, images and other related materials to generate a “Vulnerability Report.” This provides agents and their clients with information on premiums and policies. According to the company, in early testing, DealShield helped two-thirds of homeowners in high-risk areas find home insurance options outside of the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurance of last resort.
Insurance reports provide agents and buyers with an analysis of building factors that may contribute to property insecurity, including roof age, site hazards or material hazards. If an agent or their client requests a waiver report or insurance quotes, they are not required to obtain Rhino insurance.
“We think that using DealShield puts us in a position to be the most efficient broker a buyer can work with, but it’s not a requirement to use it,” Chien said.
Agents can onboard themselves on the DealShield platform. Currently they can search addresses for free on the platform, but Chien said they eventually plan to charge for the service.
“We have a variety of listing agents and buyer’s agents who use the product to educate their clients. Listing agents use it to identify things that may need to be changed or repaired to make the house less cluttered and easier to sell,” says Chien.
Although the product was only available to select retailers through the beta testing program, the response so far has been positive.
The ‘boring process’ has been made smooth
Heather Gowdy, real estate agent Twin Oaks Real Estate in Walnut Creek, California, said purchasing insurance quotes can be a “tedious process.”
To make things easier for him and his clients, Gowdy has a few insurance brokers he works with. But with DealShield, he said he can see insurance quotes and default risk within minutes.
“I think it’s amazing to be able to provide potential buyers and sellers with this information because the insurance part of the transaction can be an unknown,” Gowdy said.
In today’s highly competitive market, Gowdy said being able to access this information quickly, allowing his buyers to make an informed offer on a property in a timely manner, can be a huge advantage.
Additionally, as a listing agent, Gowdy said being able to provide this information to prospective buyers in advance is a huge advantage as it enables the seller and buyer to set realistic expectations going into any potential transaction.
“The seller is not surprised that the buyer backs out because of the cost of the insurance, or the buyer is not surprised that he needs to replace the old wood shingle roof to get the cheapest insurance,” he said.
Looking ahead, Chien said he hopes to introduce DealShield for agents to consumers in regions that face flooding, hail and even the risk of wind damage.
