Marketing & Communications

Zillow to Offer Climate-Risk Data on For-Sale Listings Across the US

For-sale listings on Zillow will now feature detailed climate-risk information for five key categories — flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality — along with insurance recommendations.

Published 4 weeks ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Alex Staudinger

US real estate marketplace Zillow® recently introduced climate-risk data, provided by First Street — an organization that provides climate-risk data for properties in the United States — on for-sale property listings across the US. Home shoppers will gain insights into five key risks — flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality — directly from listing pages, complete with risk scores, interactive maps and insurance requirements.

In a 2022 survey, 3 in 5 US adults said the likelihood of climate-related disasters has already played a role in deciding where to move or buy a home; a 2023 Zillow study found more than 80 percent of buyers now consider climate risks when purchasing a home. Featuring comprehensive climate-risk data — which fellow online real estate marketplace Redfin began doing in 2021 — provides a clearer understanding of potential hazards, helping buyers to better assess long-term affordability and plan for the future. Zillow also now features 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."

Navigating climate-risk scores on Zillow

Image credit: Zillow

When using Zillow's search map view, home shoppers can explore climate-risk data through an interactive map highlighting the five key risk categories — which are each color-coded and have their own color scale, according to the severity of risk.

When viewing a for-sale property on Zillow, home shoppers will see a new climate-risk section that includes a separate module for each risk category — featuring detailed, property-specific data. This section not only shows how these risks might affect the home now and in the future; it also provides crucial information on wind, fire and flood insurance requirements.

According to a Zillow analysis conducted in August, more new US listings come with major climate risk compared to homes listed for sale five years ago — across all five of the climate-risk categories analyzed. Across all new listings in August, 16.7 percent were at major risk of wildfire, while 12.8 percent came with a major risk of flooding.

Partnership with First Street

First Street's models, developed by scientists and vetted through a peer-review process, are used across industries including real estate, banking, government and insurance — ensuring that the climate insights given on Zillow are both credible and actionable.

First Street's analysis of the impact of found 78 percent of properties flooded by Hurricane Debby this summer were outside FEMA flood zones, and consequently located where flood insurance isn't mandatory. 85 percent of these properties would have qualified for Zillow’s new insurance recommendation, highlighting how climate-risk data can guide users in assessing insurance needs and making informed decisions about their future homes.

"At First Street, we are on a mission to connect climate change to financial risk," said First Street founder and CEO Matthew Eby. "Partnering with Zillow helps us achieve that mission by providing the millions of everyday users on the Zillow platforms with the same property-specific climate-risk data that is used by top banks, agencies and investors."

Zillow's own climate plans

In addition to expanding its suite of tools and data to address climate-related challenges, Zillow is also taking steps to reduce its own environmental footprint. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently validated Zillow's near-term science-based targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are:

To reduce Zillow's absolute scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions 94 percent by 2030 from a 2019 base year.
For 75 percent of the company's suppliers to have science-based targets for emissions reductions covering procured goods and services, capital goods and business travel by 2028.

Climate-risk information will be available on the Zillow app for iOS® and on the Zillow website by the end of the year, with Android™ availability expected early next year.