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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 78 September 2024 J O U R N A L a reason, according to a Redfin-commis- sioned survey. However, other responses were much more common: wanted more space (32.4%), lower cost of living (26.4%), and to be closer to family (16.4%), to name a few. Things Heat Up in the Lone Star State Migration to fire-prone Texas fueled a significant portion of the national net inflow to high-fire-risk areas last year. Here's the breakdown: » A total of 97,535 people moved into high-fire-risk U.S. counties, while 34,170 moved out, which is how Redfin got a net inflow of 63,365 in section one. » 35,175 of the aforementioned 97,535— or 36.1%—were people who moved to Texas. That's up from 28.7% in 2022. All in all, high-fire-risk counties in Texas saw a net inflow of 30,156—a big chunk of the nationwide net inflow. » Texas is home to five of the 10 high- fire-risk counties that saw the largest net inflows of people last year. Four of those counties are located in the area surrounding Dallas-Fort Worth, which is home to a lot of state park land. Texas isn't often the first state that comes to mind when people consider fire risk, but it had more wildfires last year (7,102) than any state but California (7,364), and actually did have the highest number of wildfires in 2022. Aside from California, the Lone Star State also has the greatest number of homes in the Wildland Urban Interface—the part of the country where developed land inter- mingles with undeveloped land, making it especially vulnerable to wildfires. More Fleeing Flood-Prone Houston Five high-flood-risk counties in Texas had net inflows of more than 2,000 people in 2023. All are just outside of Houston, which last month grappled with flooding and power outages due to Hurricane Beryl, along with sweltering heat. Harris County, which includes Hous- ton proper and also faces high flood risk, is an outlier. It saw a net outflow of 22,792 people last year. That may partly reflect families moving to the suburbs, which gained popularity during the pandemic as remote work allowed people to prior- itize things like big homes and access to nature over proximity to the office. "The main climate issue in Houston is flooding, but the major factor driving me away is the heat. I don't want to go through another Houston summer," Red- fin Premier Real Estate Agent Nicole Nodarse said. "But a lot of people are still moving here because they like the low prices and the politics. Homeowners insur- ance is becoming a big deal, though; it's much more expensive than it used to be, and a lot of people who installed 30-year roofs are now having to replace them after 15 years because some insurers won't cover the home if the roof is older than that." More Flocking to Soggy Sunshine State Migration to flood-prone Florida fueled a sizable chunk of the national net