Home Shoppers Look Beyond Their Backyards as Affordability Shapes Demand, Realtor.com Reports

Western metros lead the nation in looking beyond their local markets, as affordability and job opportunity shape where home shoppers search

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Home shoppers are increasingly looking beyond their local markets as affordability, employment opportunities and proximity shape where they search for a home. Three in five home views on Realtor.com^® from the 100 largest U.S. metros went to listings outside those markets in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Realtor.com^® Cross Market Demand Report.

At 60.1%, out-of-market home views were up from 48.2% in the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019 and 59.1% a year earlier, highlighting the continued shift toward a more interconnected housing market.

"Home shoppers are increasingly looking beyond the market where they live, but the reasons vary by metro," said Jiayi Xu, senior economist at Realtor.com^®. "In lower-cost markets, affordability gives residents a reason to stay and attracts shoppers from more expensive places. Where prices have outrun local budgets, shoppers are looking farther afield, sometimes toward a more affordable nearby market and sometimes toward a stronger job center."

Western Home Shoppers Most Likely to Look Elsewhere

In the second quarter of 2026, nearly two-thirds of online home views from Western metros went to listings outside those markets, compared with 59.8% in the South, 58.3% in the Northeast and 56.1% in the Midwest.

Before the pandemic, the West was the only region where more than half of online home views went to listings outside the local market. The West has continued to lead, while the Midwest has recorded the lowest share since the pandemic.

Affordability as an Anchor: Low-Cost Metros Retain Locals and Attract Outsiders

Shoppers in 14 of the 100 largest metros were more likely to keep their home search close to home, with more than half of their online traffic going to listings within their own metro. St. Louis led the group at 59.8%, followed by Cleveland, Memphis, Tenn., Pittsburgh, Tampa, Fla., and Louisville, Ky.

In each of these markets, median listing prices were below the national average, suggesting that relative affordability may make it easier for local shoppers to find a home that fits their budget without looking farther afield.

Low-Cost Metros Retain Locals and Attract Outsiders

The same affordability advantage can also attract shoppers from more expensive markets. For 13 of the 14 metros, the largest out-of-market source was a metro with higher median listing prices, including Chicago shoppers looking toward St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., shoppers looking toward Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

High-Cost Markets Send More Shoppers Elsewhere, While Jobs Can Draw Them In

In San Jose, Calif., more than 9 in 10 locally originated views went to homes outside the metro. San Jose's median listing price was $1,393,833 in the second quarter of 2026, or 225.5% above the national average, illustrating the significant affordability gap facing local shoppers.

Los Angeles and Seattle show a similar pattern, combining high home prices with unemployment rates above the national level. Yet all three markets are among the top sources of traffic to San Francisco, where median listing prices were 133% above the national average, suggesting that the city's strong job market may help offset its housing-cost premium.

Affordability pressure is no longer limited to the country's most expensive markets. Shoppers in metros such as Salt Lake City, Denver and Durham, N.C., are also looking toward nearby markets such as Ogden, Utah, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Raleigh, N.C., where lower prices can offer more space for the same budget.

For example, homes viewed by Los Angeles shoppers had a median price of $641 per square foot within Los Angeles, compared with $341 per square foot when those shoppers looked at listings in nearby Riverside, Calif.

Employment can also shape where shoppers look. Birmingham, Ala., shoppers' top destination is Nashville, Tenn., where the unemployment rate was 3.2% in the second quarter, suggesting that a stronger job market can sometimes outweigh a higher home price.

Metros With the Most Out-of-Market Home Shopping

Methodology

This report analyzes views of for-sale listings on the Realtor.com® marketplace in the 100 largest metros between April and June 2026. More data can be found in the Cross-Market Demand report.

About Realtor.com^®

For over 30 years, Realtor.com^® has connected buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance, and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 real estate site REALTOR^® agents recommend, Realtor.com^® delivers consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.

Media contact: Janice McDill, press@realtor.com 

SOURCE Realtor.com