Overview
- Zillow has taken First Street’s climate risk ratings off more than one million for-sale listings and now directs users to the scores via external links.
- California Regional Multiple Listing Service says First Street’s near-term flood probabilities are unreliable for many properties and has asked other platforms to remove predictive numbers and flood layers.
- Zillow says it changed its product to comply with varying MLS rules and keep a consistent experience, while Redfin plans to keep risk estimates but lets sellers request removal and Realtor.com says it is reviewing concerns.
- Research shows the displays influence the market: Zillow found high flood-risk homes listed in June 2024 were far less likely to sell by March 2025, and an NBER study of a Redfin test tied high-risk labels to lower sale prices.
- First Street defends its peer-reviewed models as validated by institutions and says its wildfire maps outperformed state hazard maps during January’s Los Angeles fires, as experts call for more transparent, standardized public risk models.