Sign In or Create an Account.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Lifestyle

This Week’s Hottest Real Estate Listings, Ranked by Climate Risk

Understanding the long-term habitability of the the houses featured this week at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Dwell, and Architectural Digest.

Houses.
Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

Zillow scrolling has been co-opted by the media. Real estate sections now dominate at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Dwell, and Architectural Digest. Even theNew York Postis in on the action.

But I can’t scroll real estate listings without considering the climate risk. So in partnership with Habitable, a climate-focused real estate platform I founded last month, Heatmap is putting its own spin on the trend. Below, we’re adding a simple climate risk score to put real estate listings featured around the web in the context of “could you really live here long-term?” It’s a more informed way to dream about real estate. Using a model developed by a team of Berkeley data scientists at Climate Check, Habitable scores each property for heat, flood, drought, and fire risk on a scale of 1-10. One represents the lowest risk and 10 is the highest. Our rating for each hazard is based on climate change projections through 2050. (You can check your own home’s climate risk here.)

We’ve applied the Habitable Index to some notable real estate finds this week. Read on for our list of most habitable to least habitable listings.

1. The Gilded Age Mansion that’s getting a little warm

Gilded Age mansion.Compass

A proper palace across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue in New York City has very low risk other than to your bank account. This $80-million Gilded Age Mansion has little climate exposure, no flooding and moderate heat risk. All that marble probably keeps things cool. (Listed at Architectural Digest.)

Habitable score


2. The Gothic Estate whose biggest concern isn’t the moderate drought risk

Gothic estateMonmouth Ocean Regional Realtors

This gothic estate in Red Bank, N.J. (is that a moat??) is surprisingly not at risk for flooding. And while only a moderate risk for drought and heat, the house does risk overwhelming you with architectural styles and animal prints. $1,575,000. (Listed at The New York Times)

Habitable score


3. A hot D.C. townhouse once owned by the Kennedys

JFK house.Compass

I would easily live in this pristine D.C, townhouse, JFK and Jackie Kennedy’s first home, despite my aversion to hot weather. Posted by Dwell, the $2.6-million house’s only climate risk is high heat — it’s DC after all. If you can take the heat, the place has quite a nice kitchen.

Habitable score


4. The Bill Murray cottage that’s crying out for fans

Bill Murray house.Andrea B. Swenson/Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty

Architectural Digest also announced Bill Murray’s adorable upstate N.Y. house — The Manse — for sale. This cute clapboard home has little climate risk other than… why is it so hot? .

At $2,075,000, you will need many fans to survive the hot humid upstate summer.

Habitable score


5. The L.A. beauty that will leave you thirsty

LA House.Cameron Carothers for Sotheby’s International Realty

Living in this mid-century beauty will be super cool (and not hot at all) but with a 9/10 risk for drought, the fire risk (5/10) feels even more real. Habitable? Inhabitable? It’s a coin toss (stock up on water barrels?) because it’s such a beautiful place. $2.6 million. (Listed by Dwell)

Habitable score


6. The $59 million flood plain

Water Mill mansion.Hedgerow Exclusive Properties

Ooh this is going to be an expensive flood! The $59-million Water Mill mansion on 12 acres of waterfront will stay cool but not at all dry. (Listed on WSJ)

Habitable score


7. The $5 million disaster waiting to happen

Sotheby’s International Realty

The WSJ’s headline for this adorable $4,995,000 home on a marsh and tidal creek says it all: What the hell is going on? The house is outfitted to survive floods,the first floor is open and permeable, and the views are insane, but it is South Carolina — at high risk for coastal flooding. Start building the ark.

Habitable score


If you enjoyed this article, sign up for Heatmap Daily to receive our top articles delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday:

* indicates required
  • Blue

    You’re out of free articles.

    Subscribe today to experience Heatmap’s expert analysis 
of climate change, clean energy, and sustainability.
    To continue reading
    Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.
    or
    Please enter an email address
    By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy
    Economy

    Trump Is Disabling the Agency That Could Fight China’s Rare Earths Embargo

    The Loan Programs Office is good for more than just nuclear funding.

    Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    That China has a whip hand over the rare earths mining and refining industry is one of the few things Washington can agree on.

    That’s why Alex Jacquez, who worked on industrial policy for Joe Biden’s National Economic Council, found it “astounding”when he read in the Washington Post this week that the White House was trying to figure out on the fly what to do about China restricting exports of rare earth metals in response to President Trump’s massive tariffs on the country’s imports.

    Keep reading...Show less
    Q&A

    You, Too, Can Protect Solar Panels Against Hail

    A conversation with VDE Americas CEO Brian Grenko.

    This week's interview subject.
    Heatmap Illustration

    This week’s Q&A is about hail. Last week, we explained how and why hail storm damage in Texas may have helped galvanize opposition to renewable energy there. So I decided to reach out to Brian Grenko, CEO of renewables engineering advisory firm VDE Americas, to talk about how developers can make sure their projects are not only resistant to hail but also prevent that sort of pushback.

    The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

    Keep reading...Show less
    Yellow
    Hotspots

    The Pro-Renewables Crowd Gets Riled Up

    And more of the week’s big fights around renewable energy.

    The United States.
    Heatmap Illustration/Getty Images

    1. Long Island, New York – We saw the face of the resistance to the war on renewable energy in the Big Apple this week, as protestors rallied in support of offshore wind for a change.

    • Activists came together on Earth Day to protest the Trump administration’s decision to issue a stop work order on Equinor’s Empire Wind project. It’s the most notable rally for offshore wind I’ve seen since September, when wind advocates protested offshore opponents at the Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island.
    • Esther Rosario, executive director of Climate Jobs New York, told me the rally was intended to focus on the jobs that will be impacted by halting construction and that about a hundred people were at the rally – “a good half of them” union members or representing their unions.
    • “I think it’s important that the elected officials that are in both the area and at the federal level understand the humans behind what it means to issue a stop-work order,” she said.

    2. Elsewhere on Long Island – The city of Glen Cove is on the verge of being the next New York City-area community with a battery storage ban, discussing this week whether to ban BESS for at least one year amid fire fears.

    Keep reading...Show less
    Yellow