Twenty-six percent of home searchers looked to move to another metro area in the third quarter of 2019, up from 25 percent the year before, according to a new report from Redfin. This is a new all-time high for the national share of home-searchers looking to relocate, likely driven by those leaving expensive metros in search of more affordable homes.
Moving In — Metros with the Highest Net Inflow
After two quarters at the top of our list of metro areas with the highest net inflow, Phoenix fell to number three in the rankings in the third quarter, passed by Boston at number one and Sacramento at number two. A net inflow means more people are looking to move in than leave, while a net outflow means there are more people looking to leave than people looking to move in.
Seventeen percent of home buyers searching in the Boston metro area were looking from other metro areas in the third quarter, up from both a year earlier (12.0%) and the second quarter (14.1%). New York continues to be the top origin city for people looking to move to Boston, and Boston is the top destination for people looking to leave New York.
Moving Out — Metros with the Highest Net Outflow
The list of metros people most-often looked to leave was once again topped by New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. in the third quarter. Net outflow is defined as the number of people looking to leave the metro minus the number of people looking to move to the metro.
Source: RedFin