New Cotality Hurricane Risk Report Finds Associated Risks Are Distorting Property Markets in Unexpected Places

More than 33 million across the United States face hurricane wind risk, $11.7 trillion in reconstruction costs at stake

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a housing market notoriously known for low inventory, homeowners in seemingly stable markets are facing unexpected challenges: diminishing property values, and difficulties selling their homes. Not because of location, but because of insurance availability and cost. Cotality™, a leading global property information, analytics, and data-enabled solutions provider, launched its 2025 Hurricane Risk Report, in which Cotality experts examine the growing financial and social costs of increasing hurricane risk, with special attention to areas of the U.S. not as prepared to weather the storms.

Nationally, Cotality has identified more than 33.1 million residential properties – spanning from Texas to Maine – with a combined reconstruction cost value (RCV) of $11.7 trillion at moderate or greater risk of sustaining damage from hurricane-force winds. Focusing on storm surge flood risk, Cotality has identified more than 6.4 million residential properties with a combined RCV of $2.2 trillion at moderate or greater risk of sustaining damage from storm surge flooding.

“Our data shows that the coastline is evolving, with the impacts of hurricanes extending not only further – both in cost and distance – but also on a more consistent basis,” said Maiclaire Bolton-Smith, vice president of insurance product marketing at Cotality. “This is being reflected in insurance pricing, which in some cases can actually price people out of what had previously been thought of as less-risky markets.”

While each hurricane season is different, on average, two hurricanes make direct landfall each year, demonstrating that the risk is not just real, but is impacting how long homes stay on the market. Cotality’s report illustrates, for example, that more than 656,000 homes in Charleston, S.C., Wilmington, N.C., and Virginia Beach, Va. are at risk of storm surge flooding if a hurricane makes direct landfall. Additionally, Cotality data shows homes in Virginia Beach, Va., remained on the market 32% longer in 2025 than in early 2024, while homes in Wilmington, N.C. remained on the market 19% longer during the same time period.

“While the challenges facing coastal real estate markets are serious, they are not insurmountable. Insurance premiums, lending decisions, property values, and real estate trends are all influenced by risk, but that also means they can be managed with the right information,” Bolton-Smith continued. “Insurability remains a challenge, but as technology continues to advance modeling capabilities, there is reason to be optimistic.”

The report also examines the impact of migration patterns on the Florida markets and leveraging past hurricanes to demonstrate the need to assess risk properly and invest in resilience measures. To read the full Hurricane Risk Report, visit the Cotality website.

About Cotality

Cotality accelerates data, insights, and workflows across the property ecosystem to enable industry professionals to surpass their ambitions and impact society. With billions of data signals across the life cycle of a property, we unearth hidden risks and transformative opportunities for agents, lenders, insurers, governments, and innovators. Get to know us at cotality.com.

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