California real estate industry is pressuring Zillow and other sites to nix extreme weather risk data buyers have come to rely on

"Zillow, the nation's largest real estate listing website, has removed extreme weather risk data meant to help buyers figure out if the biggest purchase of their life is particularly susceptible to floods, high winds or wildfires. Now, other major real estate listing websites are facing pressure to do the same. That pressure is coming from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service, which operates one of the largest private databases of home listings in the country essential to Zillow's business model."

"Out of concern that it has impacted home sales, the California group is questioning the accuracy of some climate change-related data compiled by risk modeling company First Street. That company creates current and future risk scores for climate change-fueled disasters like wildfires, coastal and rainstorm flooding, high winds, extreme heat and air quality, which are displayed on real estate websites including Redfin, Realtor.com and, until recently, Zillow."

Zillow removed displayed extreme-weather risk indicators showing probabilities of flooding, high winds, wildfires and other climate-driven hazards. The California Regional Multiple Listing Service raised concerns that predictive data from risk-modeling firm First Street was inaccurate and may have affected home sales. First Street generates current and future risk scores for wildfires, coastal and rainstorm flooding, high winds, extreme heat and air quality that appeared on multiple major listing platforms. CRMLS identified listings with high projected near-term flood risk despite decades without floods and requested removal of predictive numbers and flood-layer maps, pressuring other sites to follow suit.

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