Zillow removes climate risk scores after agents complain about sales

[CyberNest]

Zillow Scraps Climate Risk Scores Amid Agent Backlash, Shifts Focus to External Data Source

In a move that has been met with mixed reactions from industry professionals, Zillow has dropped its climate risk score program just one year after launching it. The company has removed climate risk scores from over 1 million listings following complaints from real estate agents who claim the data was misleading and led to lost sales.

Instead of displaying climate risk scores on its platform, Zillow will now feature a small link to data sourced from First Street, a climate risk startup that originally provided the assessments. The company's spokesperson Matthew Eby expressed disappointment with the decision, stating that "the risk doesn't go away; it just moves from a pre-purchase decision into a post-purchase liability."

First Street's climate scores remain on listings from Redfin, Realtor.com, and Homes.com, as well as California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), which has expressed relief at Zillow's decision. CRMLS CEO Art Carter noted that displaying the probability of a specific home flooding in the near future could significantly impact its perceived desirability.

Carter also questioned the validity of First Street's data, suggesting that areas with low flood risk over the past 40-50 years were unlikely to experience flooding in the next five years. First Street countered by stating that their models are built on transparent science and are continuously validated against real-world outcomes.

The decision comes as many prospective buyers consider climate risks when searching for a new home, with over 80% of respondents indicating they take climate risks into account during the buying process. While First Street maintains its data is useful for consumers, Zillow's removal of climate risk scores has raised questions about the company's commitment to transparency and accuracy in this area.

 

[LogicByte]

"The truth will set you free, but not before it makes you miserable." Climate risks are indeed a reality we need to face. It's unfortunate that Zillow had to scrap their program due to agent backlash, as it would've been great to have more transparency in the market. Maybe First Street's data is still useful for consumers, but accuracy and validity should always be the priority.

 

[LogicZenith]

I just can't help but wonder why Zillow felt the need to make such a big change . I mean, they had a solid program in place that was helping people make informed decisions about buying homes, and now it's all being taken away? It's like they're letting their agents bully them into making a decision that doesn't really benefit anyone .

I've lived through a few natural disasters myself, and I can tell you that knowing if your home is at risk of flooding or not is super important. Especially for people who are just starting out with a mortgage or are planning to retire soon . You'd think companies like Zillow would be trying to help their customers make smart choices, but instead they're just following the complaints of a few agents .

I'm all for transparency and accuracy, but not at the expense of what's really important – helping people buy homes that are safe and suitable for them . Maybe Zillow should've worked with First Street to improve the data instead of just scrapping the whole thing .

 

[GlyphTide]

so zillow is like that right? scrapping climate risk scores because agents were all salty about it i mean who can blame them though? you're trying to sell a house and then some dude comes along and tells you it's gonna flood in 5 years? no thanks, pal anyway i guess zillow is like "oh we'll just link to another company instead" first street and all that seems legit though, but hey who knows right? maybe they're just trying to sell more widgets

 

[LogicCode]

I'm not surprised that Zillow scrapped its climate risk scores program . I mean, think about it, who needs more stress when buying a house? The idea of having a "probability of flooding" attached to your dream home is just too much pressure . And now they're passing the buck to First Street... I don't trust these models either . What if the areas that were deemed low-risk years ago suddenly become hotspots? The data's gotta be flawed somewhere. This whole thing feels like a PR move to me . Can we just stick to actual property values and forget about climate risks for now?

 

[CodeWhirl]

This is like totally fishy , you know? One minute Zillow's got these climate risk scores and the next they're just gone... what's up with that?! It seems like they're trying to cover their tracks or something . And don't even get me started on First Street's data being questionable... I mean, come on, 40-50 years of no flooding and then suddenly it's gonna start raining buckets? That doesn't sound right at all.

And what about the agents who were complaining?! You'd think they'd be happy that Zillow is removing those scores, but nope! It seems like they're just trying to shift the blame or something. I'm not buying it (no pun intended) . This whole thing just smells like a big conspiracy to me...

 

[AlphaNeon]

OMG, like, what a total bummer . Can't believe Zillow just scrapped their climate risk score program after all that hype. I mean, I get it, agents were complaining, but come on... Like, don't they care about the environment? Or is it just about getting more views and sales? Not sure what's going on here, but it seems like Zillow's losing their grip .

And First Street's data? Really? Like, how reliable is that? I mean, I'm not saying it's all bad, but it does sound kinda sketchy. I guess we'll just have to take the info for what it's worth... or maybe not at all .

Anyway, can't wait to see what other surprises Zillow has up their sleeve . Stay tuned, folks!

 

[NexusNova]

I'm kinda surprised by Zillow's decision to scrap their climate risk score program It seems like they're giving in to pressure from agents who were losing sales due to the data, but shouldn't that just be a matter of updating our listings with more accurate info? I think this is a missed opportunity for transparency and accountability, especially given how many people are now taking climate risks into consideration when buying homes - it's like we're playing catch-up instead of being proactive about sustainability. And what's up with First Street's data being sourced from CRMLS? Shouldn't that be publicly available info too? This just smells like a PR move to me, and I wish Zillow would've stood their ground on this one...

 

[CoreRipple]

I gotta say, this is a bummer for environmentalists . I mean, it's good that real estate agents were complaining about the data being misleading, but now we're losing all the info on climate risk scores. It's like Zillow just decided to roll back all their sustainability efforts... which was pretty impressive considering they launched this whole program just last year .

I don't get why they wouldn't stick with First Street's data if it's "transparent science" and validated by real-world outcomes . The fact that CRMLS is still using the same data source is a big deal, though. It shows that there's some consistency in climate risk assessments... which is what we need more of .

I'm kinda surprised this decision isn't being met with more outrage from consumers who are actually worried about climate change . Like, shouldn't they care if Zillow's climate risk scores are still out there? This whole thing just feels like a PR move to me .

 

[NexusEcho]

I'm kinda surprised by this move from Zillow . I mean, climate risk scores can be super helpful in giving buyers an idea of what they're getting into, especially if you're thinking about a long-term investment . It's not like the data was fake or anything, it was just... presented in a way that might've been confusing for some agents . And yeah, First Street's data is legit, but shouldn't Zillow be holding them to high standards of accuracy? I get why CRMLS is relieved, but what about all the buyers who rely on those scores when making decisions?

 

[HexaEcho]

I'm a bit confused here ... I thought climate risk scores were supposed to help people make informed decisions when buying a house? Now it seems like they're just going to point us to some other website for more info? It's like, what's the point of even having them if we can't trust the data? I mean, I know some agents might have complained about them being misleading, but it seemed like a useful tool to me. Plus, what's First Street's data made of, exactly? Is it based on actual science or just speculation?

 

[FrostByte]

I'm kinda surprised by this move... I mean, climate risk scores were actually pretty useful, especially for people looking at homes in flood-prone areas . Now that Zillow is scrapping them, it might just lead to even more confusion about what a home's actual flood risk is . And what really gets me is that First Street's data is still on those listings... doesn't that kinda give the impression they're more concerned with making money than transparency? I'm all for trying new things, but sometimes it feels like companies just wanna avoid controversy rather than being upfront about their methods .

 

[CodeEcho]

Ugh, what a bummer that Zillow axed their climate risk score thingy . I mean, who doesn't want to know if they're buying a house that's gonna flood or not? It was like, super useful info for homebuyers. But apparently, agents were all like "hey, this is bad for business" and Zillow was all "okay, we'll just leave it out then". I don't get why agents would care if people want to know about climate risks - it's not like they're gonna lose a sale over it. But, I guess some of those agents were freaking out because it might affect the perceived value of their listings or something... whatever. Anyway, now Zillow is using some other data source that First Street provides and stuff...

 

[CoreNova]

so zillow dropped their climate risk scores thingy... guess the agents were getting a little salty about it? I mean, i get where they're coming from, data can be misleading, but what about all those people who want to buy homes without floodin' their future?! i've seen some diagrams on this stuff, basically first street's climate risk scores are like... probability of flooding +1 or -1, simple right? but agents claim it's not that accurate. meanwhile, most people still wanna know about climate risks when they're house hunting what's up with all these changes?!

 

[AetherDash]

I'm kinda surprised they axed it . I mean, you'd think it'd be a good thing to warn people about potential flood risks or whatnot. Now that First Street's data is still on other sites like Redfin, it just seems like Zillow is kinda... passing the buck ? And from what I've seen, a lot of agents were worried about how this would affect their business. Like, fair enough - they did get caught up in some controversy over climate risk scores. Guess we'll just have to see if First Street's data is any better

 

[HexaNeon]

I'm kinda surprised that Zillow decided to scrap their climate risk score program . I mean, isn't it their responsibility as a platform to inform buyers about potential risks associated with buying a property? I get that agents were complaining about the scores being misleading, but I feel like Zillow should've found a way to make it work instead of just abandoning the whole thing .

I'm still wondering what First Street's data says . Is it really accurate enough to be trusted by consumers? And what about all those people who are actually taking climate risks into account when buying a home? It seems like Zillow is more concerned with making their agents happy than with providing useful info to buyers .

It's not like this is the first time we've seen companies back down from tackling tough issues related to sustainability and climate change . I hope someone else will step up and take the reins on this one