Tipped off by a “skeet” from Atmospheric expert Andrew Dessler, sure enough, real estate listing service Zillow is now listing climate risks on for-sale properties. Zillow says that more than 80 percent of buyers are now considering climate risks when buying a home.
The increasing power of storms, floods and wildfires have made more potential home buyers pay attention to climate risks when shopping for a home. If you’re one of those buyers, you can now see whether a property you’re eyeing is at risk for a climate-related event by checking climate risk data on every home listed for sale on Zillow.
What is climate risk data?
Climate risk data tells you whether a property you’re considering on Zillow is at risk for flood, wildfire, high winds, extreme heat and/or poor air quality. It also gives you a history of previous climate-related events, and an estimate of the likelihood that such an event could affect that home over the next 30 years.
The information can help you determine the degree of risk you could be assuming when you buy any given property for-sale, and how much those risks could add to the cost of insuring and heating/cooling a home you’re considering.
“Climate risks influence where most prospective buyers shop for a home,” says Manny Garcia, a senior population scientist at Zillow. “While all generations juggle trade-offs like budget, floor plans and commute times, younger home shoppers are more likely to face another consideration: They want to know if their home will be safe from rising waters, extreme temperatures and wildfires.”
Compared to five years ago, more homes listed for sale in the U.S. are associated with major climate risks, according to a Zillow® analysis of new listings in August 2024. The analysis was fueled by data from First Street, a trusted leader in climate risk modeling that Zillow is partnering with to offer climate risk data. The analysis found that 16.7% of new listings were at major risk of wildfire, while 12.8% came with a major risk of flooding.
With more than 80% of buyers now considering climate risks when purchasing a home, this feature provides a clearer understanding of potential hazards, helping buyers to better assess long-term affordability and plan for the future. In assisting buyers to navigate the growing risk of climate change, Zillow is the only platform to feature tailored insurance recommendations alongside detailed historical insights, showing if or when a property has experienced past climate events, such as flooding or wildfires.
“Climate risks are now a critical factor in home-buying decisions,” said Skylar Olsen, chief economist at Zillow. “Healthy markets are ones where buyers and sellers have access to all relevant data for their decisions. As concerns about flooding, extreme temperatures and wildfires grow — and what that might mean for future insurance costs — this tool also helps agents inform their clients in discussing climate risk, insurance and long-term affordability.”