"The real estate site says a neighborhood’s environmental risks are just as relevant as schools, walkability and other stats".
"After a year of record-breaking air pollution from wildfire smoke, real estate brokerage Redfin has begun publishing air quality data in its home listings. Now, buyers can see how many days a year on average a particular area will experience poor air quality, and whether that number is projected to increase over time.
Redfin launched the new feature this week. Users can find it in the “climate” tab above the listing, along with information about other environmental risks, such as fire, heat, drought and storms, which Redfin has included in its listings since 2021. As with information about schools, walkability and pricing history, the company says that understanding a property’s climate risks is essential for home buyers looking to make an educated decision, especially as those risks intensify. While poor air quality isn’t always as visible a threat as wildfires or hurricanes, the effects can accumulate over time and harm a person’s health.
“Seeing all the data helps people quantify the risk when deciding if they’re going to live in one county or another county,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. “What’s probably going to happen over time is that [poor air quality] is just another type of weather that people either can adapt to, or they say it’s not worth it” and move to a different region. Recent studies have shown that wildfire smoke has had a significant impact on air quality, slowing or even reversing improvements made since the passage of the Clean Air Act."
Rachel Kurzius reports for the Washington Post February 13, 2024.
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