The move comes in the wake of a wave of hurricanes and other natural disasters that many scientists blame on climate change.
Zillow, the popular real estate website where many Americans shop for their next homes, will be adding a climate risk threat score for every for-sale listing on its platform starting by the end of this year.
Using data from First Street Foundation, a nonprofit that assesses climate risk, Zillow will provide home buyers with scores that measure each property’s susceptibility to flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality risks. This information will be on the Zillow app for iOS and website users by the end of this year, while Android users will be able to access the data in early 2025.
In announcing the added feature, Zillow said potential home buyers are increasingly weighing the environmental threats their homes could face as the effects of climate change intensify across the United States. A Zillow survey last year found that 80 percent of buyers now consider climate risks when shopping for a home.
Recent hurricanes in the Southeast that caused massive damage in a path from Florida up through Georgia and into the Carolinas as well as wildfires in the West have created big changes in housing demand with many current homeowners expressing wishes to leave where they currently live and get out of harm’s way. No doubt the new Zillow feature could have a significant impact on housing trends in many parts of the country.
