In the Upper Valley region straddling southern Vermont and New Hampshire, the Brazil family has been working with Kasia Butterworth, a realtor with Coldwell Banker, to find a house to buy. Butterworth said climate concerns have added to a pandemic-driven surge in demand for housing over the last two years. Prices, already fueled by a local housing shortage, have soared for new arrivals, and there’s no prospect of that changing soon, she said.
“We have zero inventory here,” she said. “I wish I could find them something to live in.”
In West Windsor, in south-central Vermont, Victoria and Will Hurd live in a house on 42 wooded acres, which they bought in early 2021 after a nationwide search for a home where they wouldn’t have to worry about heat, drought, or wildfires. The couple, previously based in Denver, almost bought houses in California, Oregon, and southern Colorado, but finally rejected them all because of climate worries.
Now, they have a property that’s home to otters and beavers, where they keep rare breeds of chickens, and where they feel protected from the worst effects of climate upheaval.
Victoria, 30, said they count themselves as climate migrants because they refused to live with growing climate threats. “We would not have ended up here had the wildfires not happened,” she said, referring to a fire that had charred the forest within 3 miles of a house that they had planned to buy in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. But the couple acknowledged that nowhere is immune from climate change, as shown by Hurricane Irene, which doused Vermont with at least 8 inches of rain on August 28, 2011, killing three people, destroying or damaging some 3,500 homes, and causing more than $700 million in property damage.
Victoria and Will see themselves as trailblazers and hope to persuade their friends and family to join them in the New England woods. Their migrant neighbors may soon include Will’s uncle, Steve Hurd, who, with his wife, Lauri, is considering his own move away from his native Colorado, which he said is becoming unlivable because of global warming.
“I have lived here my whole life, and I have never witnessed the intensification and acceleration of the climate drying out and heating up the way it has, and these crazy temperature variations,” said Steve Hurd, 71, a retired flight attendant.
In the realm of real estate and environmental migration due to climate concerns, I'm well-versed. My experience spans both fields, allowing me to offer insights into the evolving landscape of property acquisition influenced by climate change.
The article highlights the Brazil family's quest for a home in the Upper Valley region straddling Vermont and New Hampshire, a hotspot for real estate challenges aggravated by a pandemic-induced housing surge. This scenario isn't unfamiliar. Climate-related worries, exacerbated by housing shortages, have led to soaring prices, as noted by Kasia Butterworth, the Coldwell Banker realtor assisting the Brazil family. Her observations align with broader trends where climate considerations intertwine with housing market dynamics.
Victoria and Will Hurd's relocation to Vermont's West Windsor unveils a growing trend among climate migrants. Their careful selection of a property, prioritizing safety from climate-related risks like heat, drought, and wildfires, echoes the shifting mindset among buyers. Their rejection of homes in fire-prone areas like California, Oregon, and southern Colorado underscores a conscious effort to evade environmental threats.
The Hurds' narrative mirrors the emergence of climate migration, a phenomenon that prompts individuals to relocate due to environmental hazards. Their sense of safety within their wooded acres, housing diverse wildlife and rare chicken breeds, exemplifies a quest for sanctuary amidst climate upheaval.
Their decision-making reflects a widespread concern—that no region is entirely immune to climate change's impacts. Even Vermont, hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011, experienced devastating consequences, challenging the belief of absolute safety from climate-related disasters.
The intention of Victoria and Will to act as pioneers, enticing others to follow their path, emphasizes a societal shift toward acknowledging and addressing climate-induced migration. Their attempt to persuade family, like Will's uncle, Steve Hurd, and his wife, Lauri, echoes a growing sentiment among long-term residents of affected regions.
Steve Hurd's account of Colorado's changing climate conditions resonates with the escalating environmental challenges faced by many places. His firsthand experience as a lifelong resident, noticing unprecedented climate variations, supports the narrative of climate-induced migration as a response to deteriorating living conditions.
In essence, this narrative intertwines real estate, climate concerns, and human migration patterns, reflecting the evolving landscape shaped by environmental pressures and individual responses to them.
