What Zillow doesn’t want you to know about NC home listings
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Zillow removed First Street climate-risk scores from ~73,000 North Carolina listings.
- Industry sources cite accuracy disputes and broker requests for removal in 2024–2025.
- Advocates and MLSs push climate data access and disclosure amid growing flood losses.
Scroll through Zillow’s listings for Raleigh homes, and a relatively new tool that showed buyers the property’s risk for extreme weather, using data from risk-modeling company First Street, is no longer there.
The nation’s largest, real estate listing site recently removed the feature from its platform — including from roughly 73,000 listings in North Carolina.
Some real estate brokers and private databases, like the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), called the risk scores inaccurate after they launched in September 2024. They also said the scores unfairly dragged down sales. (A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research showed that homes listed with high fire and flood scores on competing-platform Redfin had their total sale prices reduced by 1% of their value.)
At CRMLS’ request, Zillow dropped the feature from its listings without notice or warning, the New York Times first reported.
The decision underscores mounting friction in the real estate world over flood risk, disclosure and the impact on house values as climate-driven storms become more common.
The threat is especially acute in North Carolina after a series of storms devastated parts of the state in recent years, displacing hundreds and causing over $50 billion in damage. Among them: remnants of Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina in September 2024 and, more recently, Tropical Storm Chantal pummeled central North Carolina in early July.
In a statement to the New York Times, Zillow spokeswoman Claire Carroll said the company remains committed to providing information that helps consumers make informed decisions. Zillow listings now display hyperlinks to First Street’s website, and users can click through to view climate risk scores for a specific property.
Zillow did not respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear if Zillow’s move will trigger a chain reaction across the industry. At present, other sites, including Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com, continue to display First Street data for factors like flood, fire, heat, wind and air, and links to full reports.
Meanwhile, Doorify MLS (DMLS), the regional operating system for over 16 counties across central and eastern North Carolina, is pushing for more transparency. It now supports over 15,000 Realtors and compiles more than 63,000 listings with syndication to national platforms.
“In our system, we are expanding access to climate-risk data, not removing it,” said Matt Fowler, Doorify MLS chief executive. “We believe in informing consumers and real estate professionals so they can make data-driven decisions.”
He said platform subscribers have access to public records and resources like RealReports.ai and Realtors Property Resource, one of the largest property databases, providing data, tools and reports and accessible to all licensed Realtors.
“We audit the data and believe it to be accurate, but it’s not guaranteed,” Fowler added. “Buyers should always confirm all critical data prior to making a purchase.”
A potential ‘real estate bubble’
Due to gaps in flood modeling from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — and limited regulatory enforcement — over 13 million properties nationwide are facing substantial flood risk without sufficient coverage, estimates First Street.
That unpriced flood risk is creating a “real estate bubble” that threatens the stability of the housing market, researchers warn.
It estimates that flood-zone properties are overvalued by $121 billion to $237 billion — largely driven by those located outside FEMA’s special flood hazard area, where it’s considered higher risk and insurance is required.
In North Carolina, almost 654,000 properties, about 12% of the state’s total properties, are in 100-year flood zones, based on First Street’s modeling. That’s almost three times higher than FEMA’s latest analysis.
Advocacy groups are pushing for more awareness. Since July 2024, North Carolina homeowners have been required to disclose flood history and risk on homes after a 2022 petition successfully filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center and other groups.
It’s trickling down to the Triangle and impacting how properties get marketed and sold.
“Ten years ago, flood zones were a secondary consideration for many buyers,” Tana Widdows, a Compass agent in Chapel Hill.
Today, she factors in floodplain maps, elevation, and local stormwater infrastructure right alongside schools, commute times, and neighborhood amenities, she said.
“Buyers want homes that will hold long-term value, and climate resilience is now part of the conversation.”
Widdows urges buyers to look beyond the house itself — checking grading, gutters, sump pumps, retaining walls, crawl spaces, and nearby storm drains.
She also encourages reviewing FEMA flood maps, asking about flood history, obtaining an elevation certificate and speaking with insurance agents to understand real costs and coverage. Disclosures alone don’t always capture financial risk, she said.
One client walked away from a property when insurance wasn’t available. If someone is considering a home in or near a floodplain, she’d say: “Consider a less risky home.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "What Zillow doesn’t want you to know about NC home listings."
