Across Europe, 2024’s string of moderate quakes—from Albania to rural France—has homeowners googling “metal damper retrofit” in record numbers. Unlike rubber or fluid devices, the latest steel-rod dampers slip between existing beams, turning old masonry townhouses into shock-absorbing frames without ugly steel braces. Italian start-up RockFrame reports 3 000 pre-orders since January, while Berlin’s housing co-ops crowdfund €2 M to install rotational dampers that hiss like bike brakes when they dissipate energy. Engineers love the hour-glass rods that flex for 50 years without maintenance; tenants love the 30 % cut in quake insurance. As climate exile investors snap up Alpine cottages, seismic-grade metal dampers have become the new granite countertop—expected, not extra.