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REALTOR.COM
NOW GAUGES
WILDFIRE RISKS
As we enter wildfire season in much of
the country, Realtor.com 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 non-profit 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 for 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, 47%
of recent buyers are more concerned about
natural disasters today than they were just 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. is new 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. e
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.
» e USDA Forest Service Wildfire rating
compares the wildfire risk of the county
where the property is located to other
counties across the country.
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