Homebuyers Consider Natural Disasters When Choosing Locations

As natural disasters become more common, keeping homes safe is an increasing concern. A new survey from Realtor.com found that 78 percent of recent homebuyers took natural disasters into account when choosing home locations.

The survey of 3,026 consumers, which was conducted online by HarrisX in July 2021, found that 62 percent of homeowners are concerned about the threat of natural disasters, and that number was even higher for recent homebuyers (75 percent) and among Millennials (72 percent).

Natural disasters that are most concerning to homeowners include tornadoes (39 percent), severe cold or winter storms (38 percent), floods (35 percent), hurricanes (29 percent), earthquakes (21 percent), wildfires (17 percent), droughts (11 percent) and sinkholes (8 percent). Homeowners in rural and suburban communities were most concerned about tornadoes and severe cold/winter storms, while flooding was a top concern for those in urban areas.

“Natural disasters can have enormous impacts on communities and homeowners,” said Mickey Neuberger, Realtor.com chief marketing officer. “Our mission is to help bring people home, but it’s also about helping people when their home is damaged or lost after disaster strikes, which is why Realtor.com recently made a $200,000 commitment to help aid in disaster response efforts.”

With natural disasters becoming more frequent and severe, nearly half (47 percent) of consumers are more concerned today about the threat of natural disasters to homeownership compared to five years ago, 44 percent said concern levels are unchanged and only 9 percent feel less concerned.

For some, the threat of future natural disasters could impact decisions about whether to move or sell. One-third (34 percent) of surveyed consumers would consider proactively selling their homes, moving or both to avoid future natural disasters while 66 percent said they are not considering either.