Disaster-stricken areas can place undue hardship on real estate agents looking to sell houses and sales volumes often take a hit.
In Tampa, Florida, for example, pending home sales fell by 32% last fall after the arrival of hurricanes Helene and Milton, according to Redfin. And a report published this week said that agents in Florida, California and South Carolina are being forced to change tactics to survive in their markets.
The Wall Street Journal spoke to agents in disaster-prone areas to gauge the difficulty of selling high-end homes and detail their methods for bringing buyers aboard.
The report included an anecdote from Yvonne Burnham of Domain Realty. Burnham shared her experience about trying to sell a $6.5 million, five-bedroom mansion on Sanibel Island, located on the west coast of Florida. The damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged the area in 2024, and the home took significant damage.
According to Burnham, the land alone, located near the beach, was worth $4 million. But the mansion suffered roof damage during the hurricanes, which steered away would-be buyers.
In the wake of the January wildfires that devastated Los Angeles, another agent in Southern California also struggled to sell a two-bedroom, 1,708-square-foot home in Pacific Palisades that was worth $2.35 million. There are several other examples in the report.
These stories aren’t unheard of in prime real estate markets, and the other subjects featured in the report have similar tales. But the message is explicit — properties in disaster-prone areas are harder to sell. But these difficulties stem from reasons that go beyond the recent natural disasters like the LA wildfires.
One such reason is the newfound, forward-thinking mindset that Generation Z and millennials bring to the housing market when buying their new dwellings.
The Journal referenced another report by Redfin, which featured 2,000 respondents from several demographics. The report found that 56% of millennial and 50% of Gen Z buyers factor in climate change when making housing decisions.
On the flip side, only 31% of baby boomers and 40% of Gen X respondents considered climate risks at all. This makes it hard to sell to younger buyers who may already be apprehensive about making what they consider a “risky purchase.”
Some agents still have hope and others aren’t ready to give up, according to the Journal.
Things are difficult for listing agents in disaster-prone areas, but some are thinking of new ways to deliver value. According the report, some agents are going so far as to hire contractors and engineers to improve homes and ease buyer apprehension.
One agent in Portuguese Bend — a region with the largest area of vegetation in Los Angeles County — even hired contractors to improve a home located in an area impacted by a landslide.
Agents in Florida are offering storm-proofing options, including elevated houses and floodgates. Similarly, another agent in South Carolina coordinated tree removals, roof repairs and propane tanks to keep listings relevant.
“People still have plans and desires and time frames, no matter what’s going on in the world,” said Marilyn Wright, a real estate agent in North Carolina. “It’s a full-court press for us.”
Despite this determination, multiple listing services (MLSs) are cracking down on agents that post misleading listings. For example, the California Regional MLS is enforcing a fine of $100 to $2,500 for Fair Housing Act violations in an effort to make sure listing information is accurate and up to date.
