Zillow removed First Street climate-risk scores from more than one million for-sale listings in November 2025, after objections from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS). Zillow replaced the scores with a link to each property’s First Street records. Real-estate agents had complained that the scores were hurting sales, according to TechCrunch’s reporting. That complaint is an agents’ claim. The reporting does not independently establish that the scores caused lost sales.
The change matters for buyers because it moves climate-risk information from the listing page to a separate record, and because the underlying question, how reliable a property-level flood or wildfire score is, remains contested.
What Zillow changed and when
Zillow introduced First Street climate-risk information on for-sale listings in September 2024. The tool covered flood, wildfire, wind, extreme heat, and poor air quality. In November 2025, Zillow stopped displaying those scores on listings it covered. Users who clicked through were directed to the property’s First Street records instead.
Zillow’s decision followed objections from CRMLS, the multiple listing service covering much of California. TechCrunch reported that agents had complained the scores were hurting sales. Treat the sales-impact point as the agents’ assertion. The reporting does not confirm that the scores reduced sales or that they were the decisive reason for the withdrawal.
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Why the scores were disputed
CRMLS CEO Art Carter argued that showing a modeled probability that a specific home will flood this year or within the next five years can affect how desirable the property looks to buyers. He also questioned the model in places that have not flooded in decades. In other words, the objection is partly about how a probability reads on a listing page and partly about whether the model’s output fits local experience.
First Street defended its data. Spokesperson Matthew Eby said: “Our models are built on transparent, peer-reviewed science and are continuously validated against real-world outcomes.” He also argued that buyers who lack clear climate-risk information make major financial decisions without it, and that the risk does not disappear after purchase; it moves into the owner’s future costs.
Those are First Street’s positions. The reporting does not provide an independent test of the model’s accuracy for individual homes.
First Street’s performance claim
TechCrunch relayed First Street’s claim that, within CRMLS coverage areas, its maps classified more than 90% of homes that burned in the Los Angeles wildfires as severe or extreme risk, and all of them as having some level of risk. This is First Street’s own account of its performance, not an outside validation. The same reporting notes criticism that official hazard maps can be outdated or can understate risk, which means the comparison point itself is contested.
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TIME reported in 2026 that First Street identified 94% of properties destroyed in the Eaton fire as having severe or extreme wildfire risk. That is a retrospective identification by the company in one event. It does not show that every individual property score is accurate, and it does not show how often the model flagged homes that did not burn.
What buyers can still check
As of January 2026 reporting, buyers could still obtain property-level climate-risk data from First Street for a fee. Redfin, Realtor.com, and Homes.com also continued to show First Street data on listings. Availability on these platforms can change, so confirm what each one displays before relying on it.
Two different kinds of source are involved, and they answer different questions:
| Source | Scope | Hazards covered | Cost and access | What it can and cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Street property-level data | Individual address | Flood, wildfire, and other modeled hazards shown in its records | Paid for property-level reports, as reported in January 2026; some platforms have displayed it on listings | A modeled, address-specific estimate from First Street. Its accuracy is disputed, and it is a model output rather than an official designation. |
| FEMA National Risk Index | Area level (counties and census tracts) | 18 hazards, as reported by TIME in 2026 | Free public tool | Shows relative hazard exposure for an area. It does not produce a listing-specific score for a particular house. |
The table compares scope and access only. The sources do not provide a complete apples-to-apples accuracy comparison between them.
A practical checklist before you rely on any score
- Ask whether a score is property-level or area-level, and whether it is modeled or based on an official hazard designation.
- Check the data date and the time horizon the score uses, since a five-year probability and a current flood-zone designation answer different questions.
- Look up the property’s flood zone and wildfire exposure through official local or federal sources, not only through a listing score.
- Get insurance quotes for the specific address before making an offer. Premiums and availability can matter more to total cost than a single risk label.
- Ask the seller and inspector about prior flooding, fire damage, and any claims history on the property.
- Treat any climate-risk output as one input among several, not a verdict on whether to buy.
Reading the quotes and statistics carefully
Zillow said at launch that more than 80% of buyers consider climate risks when buying a home. That figure is Zillow’s own statistic, as reported by TechCrunch, and it has not been independently verified. Use it only with that attribution.
Some quotations in TechCrunch’s report were attributed to other interviews. If you need the exact wording of a remark, consult the original interview rather than treating the reproduced text as a verified transcript.
For background on how property insurance and hazard exposure affect buying decisions, see the other guides on this site.
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