Last month, Realtor.com published its 2025 Housing and Climate Risk Report. It revealed that "Overall, 26.1% of U.S. homes — representing $12.7 trillion in value — are exposed to at least one type of severe or extreme climate risk."
The report broke down the approximate number of properties vulnerable to the main climate threats affecting U.S. homes during 2025:
- 6.1% of homes, valued at nearly $3.4 trillion, face severe or extreme risk of flood damage
- 18.3% of homes, valued at nearly $8 trillion, face severe or extreme risk of hurricane wind damage
- 5.6% of homes (worth $3.2 trillion) face severe or extreme risk of fire damage
The most vulnerable homes may become uninsurable, and even those at a somewhat lower risk typically come with sky-high insurance premiums. Of course, being financially protected by insurance is hugely important.
But it's not everything. You can't insure against the emotional cost of your home and its contents being destroyed or severely damaged. In news footage, you can see the strain and pain etched onto the faces of survivors as they pick through what's left after a flood, hurricane or fire.
Minimizing Your Risk of Buying a Vulnerable Home
Earlier this year, The New York Times published a lengthy article titled "How to Shop for a Home That Won’t Be Upended by Climate Change."
The article took the form of a giant FAQ (frequently asked questions) format. We'll summarize some of the essential points it made.
How To Research Climate Risks
You must know about the climate risks facing any home you're thinking of buying. In some states, sellers are obliged to disclose relevant information, but the strictness of these rules varies. And five states require no disclosures, instead saying, Buyer Beware!
Zillow provides a "Climate risks" section for each home it lists. Redfin provides similar information for every address, regardless of its listing status. Besides floods, hurricanes and fire dangers, you can learn about air quality and extreme heat.
Both companies base their information on data provided by First Street, a non-profit that monitors shifting climate change threats. If you prefer information from the source, The Times says you must pay a monthly subscription for full access. However, we just checked an address on its website without being asked for payment for a basic report. For fuller information, we were offered a free trial.
Finally, explore the neighborhood around your target home, talk to people on the street, and perhaps even knock on doors. If you still have concerns, drop into a local elected official's office.
The following can provide valuable information on climate risks:
However, be aware of two things:
- These sources rarely, if ever, claim completeness. They provide guidance rather than guarantees, and you should research further yourself if you have doubts.
- By its nature, climate change involves ... well, change. So, a home you buy now may face new or different threats in five, 10 or 20 years. To minimize your risks, choose when possible a home on high ground to avoid future flooding, in a gentle climate to avoid wildfires, and well away from affected coasts to avoid hurricanes.
Biggest Risks
Although those climate risks pose the greatest threats, other factors can be highly important. User our climate risk checklist to make a better bet on a home.
- Water — For municipal water, check its quality and the reliability of its supply. For private water, determine its susceptibility to drought and the chances of a neighbor reducing your supply.
- Air quality — Polluted air can pose significant health risks, especially to children and older folks. Zillow, Redfin and First Street's reports cover this.
- Home hardening — If the home you want to buy is old, check whether it remains up to current codes. How much would it cost you to improve the home so that it better resists the climate threats it faces? Does its current landscaping raise or lower risks?
- Neighboring homes — If your neighbors' homes are inadequately hardened against risks, does that affect your home's resilience? It can, especially for fire risks.
- Power supply — How frequent are power outages? Can you afford a whole-home standby generator, if necessary?
- Insurance — What will your homeowners' insurance premiums be on the home? Very high ones affect housing affordability, which typically lowers a home's value.
- Coastal erosion and rising sea levels — Will your coastal idyll still exist in 10 or 20 years?
Most of us are used to buying a home based on its attractiveness, amenities, accommodation, convenient location, and so on. But there's a lot more to think about now.
