Homeowners and shoppers can view wildfire risk
data from First Street Foundation and USDA Forest Service on
for-sale and off-market home listings for free
SANTA
CLARA, Calif., May 16, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- As we enter wildfire season in much of the country,
Realtor.com® today announced that it is the first major
real estate site to add property-specific wildfire risk information
to for-sale and off-market homes free of cost. An estimated one in
five single family homes in the U.S., representing $8.8 trillion in property value, are at risk of
being damaged by a wildfire over the next 30 years. Listings on
Realtor.com® will now include a Fire Factor™ rating from
First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research and technology group,
as well as information from USDA Forest Service.
"Realtor.com® was the first real estate site to
display flood risk data on home listings and maps, which consumers
have found to be extremely helpful in the buying process. As the
likelihood of natural disasters like wildfire and flood increase,
we want to provide as much information as possible for families to
make informed decisions about where to live and how to protect
their homes," said Sara Brinton,
lead product manager, Realtor.com®. "By integrating
wildfire risk data directly into maps and property listings, we can
help homebuyers feel confident when making one of the biggest
purchases of their lives."
According to a recent survey from Realtor.com® and
HarrisX, 71% of recent homebuyers took natural disasters into
account when considering where to move. Additionally, about half
(47%) of recent buyers are more concerned about natural disasters
today than they were five years ago.
Wildfire risk data is not just useful for buyers; it also
enables homeowners to take steps to mitigate risk and protect their
property. This first-of-its-kind data integration on
Realtor.com® gives homebuyers and owners easy access to
previously hard-to-find information about wildfires and property
risk for free.
Users can explore wildfire risk on interactive maps across the
Realtor.com® site. In addition, Realtor.com®
listings now include a new Environmental Risk section featuring an
overview of wildfire and flood risks. Wildfire risk information
includes:
- Fire Factor™ from First Street Foundation, which is a simple
risk rating on a scale of 1-10 based on the property's cumulative
risk of wildfire damage over 30 years. The Fire Factor™ score
considers property specific attributes such as exposure to embers,
the extent and type of fuel sources, such as trees, grass and other
vegetation, and the distance between a building and the nearest
fuel sources.
- The USDA Forest Service Wildfire rating compares the wildfire
risk of the county where the property is located to other counties
across the country.
Wildfire risk data will be coming soon to rental properties. For
more information, visit www.realtor.com/wildfire-risk.
About
Realtor.com®
Realtor.com® makes buying, selling, renting and
living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone.
Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate
more than 20 years ago, and today through its website and mobile
apps is a trusted source for the information, tools and
professional expertise that help people move confidently through
every step of their home journey. Using proprietary data science
and machine learning technology, Realtor.com® pairs
buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take
the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals,
Realtor.com® is a trusted provider of consumer
connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in
today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by
News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move,
Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of
REALTORS®. For more information, visit Realtor.com®.
Media Contact
nicole.murphy@move.com
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SOURCE Realtor.com