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INVESTMENT GOVERNMENT PROPERTY PRESERVATION
GAUGING
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 United States, 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 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, 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. is
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. 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.
Journal