Wildfires don’t seem to matter to would-be homeowners

New research says wildfires that threaten or even burn homes don’t scare off potential new homeowners.

A UNLV study demand for real estate rebounds in high-risk areas within one to two years of a wildfire. It’s like “out of sight, out of mind:” Homebuyers just really want to see an amazing view, or have the peace of a mountain or forest landscape.

Media coverage of evacuations and out-of-control fires and even deaths don’t seem to deter people. Homebuilding in the wildland-urban interface is only growing, from around 30.8 million housing units in 1990, to 43.4 by 2010.

Researchers looked at real estate and wildfires in Colorado, but say the findings apply to Utah and other western states as well. They say the wildlife urban interface is a growing cause of wildfires.

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