Look, what Realtor.com Research is showing us here is pretty significant for how people are shopping for homes these days. Back in 2019, before the pandemic really changed everything, people tended to stay close to home when browsing listings online. But now we're seeing that more than six out of every ten views in major metros are going to homes outside people's local areas. That's a real structural shift in how the market works.
What's interesting is this pattern plays out differently depending on where you are in the country. The West has always been the most mobile region, with homes out of market getting the most attention, while the Midwest has stayed the most local-focused. But here's the thing: all four regions of the country have crossed that fifty percent threshold now, meaning this isn't just a coastal phenomenon anymore. It's become the norm everywhere.
The real driver behind all this cross-market shopping seems to be affordability, according to Realtor.com's analysis. There are fourteen major metros where people actually do stick closer to home, and they all share something in common: their prices are below the national average. Take St. Louis and Memphis, for example. People stay put there because homes are reasonably priced. Meanwhile, those same affordable metros are attracting shoppers from pricier cities like Chicago and Washington, DC, who are priced out of their own backyards. You see it happening in places like Los Angeles too, where shoppers can get homes at nearly half the price per square foot when they look just down to Riverside.
Employment factors are playing a role as well, though affordability is usually the main story. Some metros like Nashville and Charlotte are pulling people in because of stronger job markets or particular industries like finance. There's even a case where a state relocation incentive program in Ohio appears to be nudging Indianapolis shoppers toward Cincinnati, even though Indianapolis is actually the more affordable option.
The really expensive metros tell you everything you need to know about where this market is heading. San Jose, Los Angeles, and Seattle all have home prices that dwarf the national average, and that's pushing nearly everyone who lives there to shop elsewhere. Yet interestingly, San Francisco is pulling people in from all three of those cities despite having prices that run well above the national average too, because the job market there is so strong right now with all the AI activity.
What I'm seeing locally in the Bay Area and out in the East Bay, particularly around Fremont and other affordability-conscious areas, is that this trend is very much alive. People are making longer moves for better value, and buyers from our pricier neighborhoods are definitely shopping further afield. If you're a seller in an area that's become less affordable, you're going to need to compete with options that buyers can find nearby at better prices. That's the reality we're working with now.
