Every Single Residential Property In $F Metro Area At Risk For Bad AQ Thanks To Wildfires

The Bay Area has one of the priciest markets for home buyers in the United States. It also has among the highest levels of unhealthy air in the country — not due to pollution, but to wildfires.

That’s according to a new report from real estate listing site Redfin, which says every home in the San Francisco metropolitan area — composed, by the firm’s definition, of the city and San Mateo County — has a high risk of poor air quality. The same is true for the San Jose metro area, which Redfin defines as Santa Clara and San Benito counties. Both areas had the highest home prices among the largest regions in the United States. The San Jose area’s median sale price in December 2023 was $1.4 million, while the San Francisco area’s was $1.3 million.

Redfin’s report uses air quality risk data from the First Street Foundation, a research and technology nonprofit, that estimated the annual number of poor air quality days today and in 30 years for virtually every home in the U.S. The organization’s analysis was based on the expected amount of particulates known as PM2.5, found in wildfire smoke and vehicle exhaust, and of ozone, which occurs when pollutants react to sunlight.

Among the 13 major metro areas where at least 85% of homes face a high risk of poor air quality, nine are in California. San Jose and San Francisco had by far the most expensive homes of the group.

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https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/home-poor-air-quality-18669762.php