Press release
Big City Exodus: Realtor.com® Report Finds Majority of Shoppers Looking to Relocate for Budget and Lifestyle
Out-of-metro searches surged nearly 11 percentage points since 2019, led by San Jose, Calif., Washington D.C., and SeattlePortland, Oregon, San Francisco and
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[{"type":"text","content":"Out-of-metro searches surged nearly 11 percentage points since 2019, led by San Jose, Calif., Washington D.C., and SeattlePortland, Oregon, San Francisco and Houston gained the most popularity among local residents over the past six years, while McAllen, Texas; Phoenix; and Spokane, Wash., lost popularityAUSTIN, Texas, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With affordability still out of reach for many, a new report from Realtor.com® found 58.9% of online home shoppers in the 100 largest U.S. metros looked outside their current metro in the second quarter of 2025, up from 48.1% in 2019, as buyers seek homes that better fit their budgets, job flexibility, and lifestyle needs.\n\n\"Affordability remains a primary driver of home searches, but evolving workplace policies, job opportunities and shifting local conditions also play a role. As regional housing trends diverge, home shoppers tapped the brakes compared to a year ago, but accelerated their searches elsewhere compared to 2019, across the 100 largest metros with sizable variation across markets,\" said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com®. \"Despite the year over year step back, Americans continue to take a broader view of where they can live, often looking beyond their current metro areas in hopes of stretching their dollar and improving their lifestyle.\"\nBig cities dominated the top ten metros as current residents overwhelmingly searched out of their markets driven by affordability challenges. San Jose, Calif., had the highest share of outbound search traffic, with 93.7% of shoppers looking at listings elsewhere. More than one-third of that activity was aimed outside California altogether.\nWashington, D.C. (86.4%), Seattle (80.5%), and Salt Lake City (77%) also topped the list of metros with the most local residents eyeing an out of metro move. Notably, big cities New York, Boston, and Chicago joined the top 10 metros with the highest out-of-market search rates—reflecting a combination of rising home prices and growing unemployment.\nTop 10 Metros Which Lost Popularity among Local Residents in the Second Quarter of 2025\nMarket\nOut of Market Share \n2025Q2\nRank\n2025Q2\nRank 2024Q2\nSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA\n93.7 %\n1\n1\nWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV\n86.4 %\n2\n2\nSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA\n80.5 %\n3\n4\nSalt Lake City-Murray, UT\n77.0 %\...