Empower Home Buyers with Wildfire Risk Data

I had the absolute pleasure of leading the product design for this first-to-market initiative with the?Realtor.com?team!

There were many many brilliant folks involved with this launch but ultimately, and most importantly, we were able to get this imperative environmental risk data out to the public ASAP.

Thanks to our partnership with First Street Foundation, on?realtor.com?you can now see individualized Wildfire ratings and Wildfire maps for properties across the nation. This provides users all of the important information and data they need to make an informed decision when purchasing a home, as well as looking into insurance options.

The real estate industry will be deeply affected by climate change, and choosing a new home is one of the biggest purchases most Americans make in their life.

This release enables consumers to feel empowered when it comes to what the future might hold.

Special thanks to the dream team I was lucky enough to work with!

Lead Product Manager - Sara Brinton

Engineering Lead - Harjot Pooni

Product Marketing Lead - Meghan Ruff

Legal - Erin Finley

Analytics - Amy Capdau, Chandler Ogden

Marketing - Maureen Boyle

View the live experience HERE

Hypothesis

Climate change will have lasting impacts on the housing market in the United States:

Higher cost of homeownership
Increased risk of damage
Decreased home value

Providing insight on climate data will empower buyers, renters, and homeowners to understand the environmental risks in their neighborhood.

How might we... help consumers make a climate-informed decision when purchasing a home

Real Estate is the largest industry impacted by the climate crisis.

Millions of American homes are vulnerable to flooding, wildfires and storms, and they will only become more exposed as the effects of climate change worsen.

More than 1 in 5 single-family homes across the country are considered at risk for wildfires specifically. That’s approximately $8.8 Trillion of home value.

Climate change is a fair housing issue and disproportionally effects BIPOC.

Research

7 out of 10 American adults say global warming is a serious problem and support increased regulation on greenhouse gases.

6 out of 10 Realtors say their clients are interested in sustainability.

1 in 3 Americans experienced a climate-related disaster in 2021

BIPOC communities are 50% more vulnerable to wildfires

Qualitative User Testing

16 users

Ages 24-65+ ● Any employment ● $40-150k+ ● English Speaking ● Google Chrome ● Desktop

Looking to purchase a home in next 6 months

Mix of genders, occupations, and locations with the United States

Synthesis of Results

Insights

Knowing environmental risk data changes their shopping behavior and considerations
Discoverability and usability of feature is great
Users want to see even more risk types (ie. hurricane)
Some lack of understanding around insurance and next steps