Zillow's decision to stop including climate disaster risk scores in its property listings has left many wondering if it was a step forward or backward in acknowledging the growing threat of climate change on real estate. The online real estate marketplace had started embedding these scores into its profiles in 2024, scoring homes based on their future risks from various natural disasters like floods, wildfires, and heatwaves.
While it may seem counterintuitive that Zillow would discontinue this feature given the increasing severity of climate-related disasters, the site's move is part of a broader effort by real estate professionals to downplay or omit climate risk assessments in an attempt to boost sales. This approach ignores the very real dangers posed by warming temperatures and instead focuses on selling homes without revealing their potential vulnerabilities.
By removing these scores, Zillow is essentially telling homebuyers to "la la" – to ignore the potential risks associated with certain properties. This approach raises questions about the site's responsibility to its users, who deserve more transparency when making such significant purchasing decisions. Without climate risk information, buyers are left vulnerable to costly surprises down the line.
However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests incorporating climate risk assessments into real estate listings can have tangible benefits for communities and homeowners. For instance, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California, the Tahoe Fund has developed a successful pilot program to identify areas at high wildfire risk and implement targeted measures to reduce these risks. This initiative has already led to reduced property insurance premiums for participating homes.
One of the most significant challenges facing communities affected by climate change is engaging residents and real estate professionals in adapting to emerging threats. It requires overcoming inertia and behavioral barriers, often rooted in denial or a lack of awareness about the risks involved. In this context, including climate risk scores can be an essential tool for encouraging proactive steps toward mitigation.
Rather than hiding information from buyers, Zillow could focus on providing more detailed assessments that help homebuyers make informed decisions about their purchases. By working together with policymakers, insurance companies, and local governments, the real estate industry can create a culture of transparency and resilience that acknowledges the very real dangers posed by climate change.
Ultimately, it is not about ignoring the risks or downplaying the severity of climate-related disasters; rather, it is about empowering homeowners to take control of their purchasing decisions and make informed choices. By adopting more proactive approaches to addressing these challenges, Zillow can help promote a culture of resilience that prepares communities for an uncertain future.
While it may seem counterintuitive that Zillow would discontinue this feature given the increasing severity of climate-related disasters, the site's move is part of a broader effort by real estate professionals to downplay or omit climate risk assessments in an attempt to boost sales. This approach ignores the very real dangers posed by warming temperatures and instead focuses on selling homes without revealing their potential vulnerabilities.
By removing these scores, Zillow is essentially telling homebuyers to "la la" – to ignore the potential risks associated with certain properties. This approach raises questions about the site's responsibility to its users, who deserve more transparency when making such significant purchasing decisions. Without climate risk information, buyers are left vulnerable to costly surprises down the line.
However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests incorporating climate risk assessments into real estate listings can have tangible benefits for communities and homeowners. For instance, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California, the Tahoe Fund has developed a successful pilot program to identify areas at high wildfire risk and implement targeted measures to reduce these risks. This initiative has already led to reduced property insurance premiums for participating homes.
One of the most significant challenges facing communities affected by climate change is engaging residents and real estate professionals in adapting to emerging threats. It requires overcoming inertia and behavioral barriers, often rooted in denial or a lack of awareness about the risks involved. In this context, including climate risk scores can be an essential tool for encouraging proactive steps toward mitigation.
Rather than hiding information from buyers, Zillow could focus on providing more detailed assessments that help homebuyers make informed decisions about their purchases. By working together with policymakers, insurance companies, and local governments, the real estate industry can create a culture of transparency and resilience that acknowledges the very real dangers posed by climate change.
Ultimately, it is not about ignoring the risks or downplaying the severity of climate-related disasters; rather, it is about empowering homeowners to take control of their purchasing decisions and make informed choices. By adopting more proactive approaches to addressing these challenges, Zillow can help promote a culture of resilience that prepares communities for an uncertain future.
like whats going on ?? i think its super weird they stopped it bc they dont wanna scare ppl off from buying homes in flood zones or wildfires and stuff ... but isnt that the point of these scores to warn people about potential risks ??!?!? 
we need to start taking action NOW not 10 yrs down the line or whatever. it makes sense that zillow would want to provide more detailed assessments and info for buyers but i wish they would have done this in the first place instead of just pulling them out now 
maybe that's a way forward ?? we need more programs like that to help communities adapt to climate change 
. I mean, you'd think they'd want to be helping people make informed decisions about buying homes, not just selling them as quickly as possible. It's like they're ignoring the elephant in the room – climate change is real and it's having a huge impact on our planet.
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. By doing so, they can actually be part of the solution, rather than just ignoring the problem 
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. Zillow was doing the right thing by including those climate disaster risk scores, but now they're just... gone 
. It's like they're not taking the issue seriously at all.
. It's just not right, you know? We should be working together to address this issue, not making it harder for people to adapt 
. Now, I'm not sure what's more concerning - the fact that Zillow stopped providing climate risk scores or the fact that they're trying to make a buck off of people's fears 
. Either way, it's just a shame 
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. I mean, think about it – buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make, and they just removed this super valuable info 
. We should be learning from those examples and implementing them nationwide.
. It's not just about the company, though – it's about the people who are going to get hurt if they don't have this info 
i mean i was at this one spot and their crust is literally insane! crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside... i'm obsessed 
i started thinking about how sustainable it would be to grow more veggies in our city parks. like what if we had community gardens everywhere? 
but if they're just hiding info from buyers then that's shady 
they need that info to make informed decisions. and what if the seller isnt even aware of the potential issues with their property? zillow should be helping homebuyers not just listing properties 