Kenya Reeves-Costa, a real estate agent working primarily in Northeast Los Angeles, is not a climate expert. The head of the LA Homegirl Team at Compass never expected to spend her days immersed in the growing crisis—though her 12-year-old keeps her up on all things climate.
Still, there’s no longer a way to buy or sell real estate without knowing about environmental hazards, like lead paint and asbestos in older homes. And in California, all transactions include a legally required Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) report, which informs buyers if a property is in a high-risk zone for things like fires, earthquakes, floods, and even liquefaction. That’s when water-saturated loose soil (or sediment like sand or silt) just below the ground surface becomes like liquid, potentially causing buildings to sink. NHDs also detail whether or if a property is close to any chemical hazards.
For years Kenya coexisted with these NHD reports as she worked with clients, joking that any home in Los Angeles, where the average price of the properties is $1 million plus, was of course going to be in one of these zones. That’s LA! But January 2025 changed her job: “The fires brought everything to the forefront for me as a realtor and even as a mom,” she says. While she never anticipated having a climate job, no one could anticipate the “carnage” Los Angeles witnessed. So Kenya jumped in, helping relocate people pro bono. “It was a huge undertaking and really overwhelming. It was very hard finding places where people felt safe at a price they could afford and that their insurance would cover.”
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Today, if you ask Kenya if her job is a climate job, she knows all too well that it is. There’s no way around it. Here’s what she has to say about being an LA realtor at this moment in climate crisis history.
Are buyers getting more concerned about the environment?
There has always been some concern: “Oh, this is close to a high fire area” or “Wow, we are almost on a fault line.” But as of late, everyone is like, “How far am I from fire?” The conversations happen a lot more. This year especially, with every buyer I have worked with, I have had a conversation about where the harms are located and what the risk may be. I have had a few different conversations about changing the roof to one that is more fire retardant. Now 98% of my buyers have talked to me about climate and protecting the home when purchased.
What’s happening with insurance and these issues?
Insurance has been moving slowly. I had about six clients affected by fires in Altadena—it’s not a major part of my client base, but oftentimes if you are looking in the northeast, it may be a consideration. Driving through there, it’s heartbreaking, devastating.
Insurance is a big part of what we talk to clients about. We have an insurance contingency—if you can’t get insurance, you have an option to back out of the contract. In LA, clearly we protect buyers!
Back in the day, it wouldn’t be a thought—someone might waive the contingency because it would just take a couple of minutes to call, get a quote, and lock it in. Now, it’s a bit of a battle royale. I have to tell buyers, “The moment you are in escrow, here are three insurance brokers. Call them. Call your renter and car insurance. Get quotes.” It’s a lot more expensive. Insurance is considered homeowner and fire insurance—you have to add on for earthquakes. I encourage this; it’s LA after all. In a city with so many climate hazards, you need an insurance broker you know. And do a yearly check-in to make sure things are covered!
Zillow recently deleted climate risk data from home listings because of complaints that they were arbitrary and hurt sales. How do you feel about that?
I actually had it happen to me this year. My client loved this home that was in the flats, in the middle of the city, nowhere near the hills. She got an alert on Zillow saying it was a high fire zone. I said, “That seems really off.” I have been selling homes for 18 years. If you were anywhere in the hills, they are high fire zones, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why this home in the flats would be. I was trying to figure out where the data was from. It was unclear. She chose not to move there but bought a house less than a mile from there not in a zone. Zillow hasn’t always been the best when it comes to algorithms, even home values. I don’t think that depending on a company that can’t say yes these are 100% accurate based on something real makes sense. A report that may or may not be true is detrimental. If you’re in a state without NHDs, I guess it could be useful.
Beyond fires, what are the biggest climate concerns you’re hearing about?
Air quality is a big deal. I have a client whose daughter has asthma. We had to do a giant research for neighborhoods with decent air quality. There are airports, freeways. She landed in Montecito Heights. You have to consider affordability. You can always live closer to the ocean and have fresher air, but that will cost you double or triple the price.
As a realtor, your job is to be concerned about the things your clients and people in your life and community are concerned about. Air quality was the thing making that decision. I get it; you have to do everything you can for your kids if you’re living in a city you have to be in for work or what have you. It’s understandable. And if a client asks me for a purple polka-dotted house, it’s my job to find it.
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