Nearly $5 trillion worth of single-family homes and condos are located in areas that could be affected by superfunds, brownfields, polluters, or poor air quality.
A recent report from ATTOM Data Solutions found that 17.3 million U.S. homes are situated in zip codes that are considered at risk for environmental hazards. The figure represents roughly a quarter of all the homes analyzed.
Cities that have the highest risk include Denver, San Bernardino, Calif., St. Louis, and suburbs of Baltimore and Los Angeles.
“Home price appreciation over the past five years was actually stronger in the higher-risk zip codes, which could reflect the strong influence of investors during this recent housing recovery,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions.