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DC Home Searches Increased During Polar Vortex

  • January 29, 2014

by Lark Turner

DC Home Searches Increased During Polar Vortex: Figure 1
They probably wanted to move to Orlando, too. Image via 20002ist.

Do DC’s frigid temperatures have you considering a move or an investment in a vacation home? You’re not alone.

That’s what Trulia’s team discovered when they looked at user searches during the recent polar vortex. Nationwide, Trulia found that home searches increased 2.6 percent for every 10 degrees the thermometer dropped between December 1, 2013 and January 21, 2014.

Unsurprisingly, those searches were mostly targeted at cities in warmer parts of the country. Searches targeted in those areas increased 4.4 percent overall using the same temperature metric.

Trulia economist Jed Kolko ran some DC-specific searches for UrbanTurf. These figures come with a few caveats: because there is less data to work with, the numbers are more volatile and less reliable than when the data is looked at across the country. Kolko looked at the changes in average daily search volume when the maximum temperature in DC was 10 degrees or more below the average daily high. Comparing the coldest days between December 1 and January 21 with other days during that period, average daily search traffic by those in the region was:

  • 6% higher for homes in the DC metro (i.e. DC residents looking for homes in the region)
  • 3% higher for homes in New York metro
  • 3% higher for homes in Miami metro
  • 15% higher for homes in Houston metro
  • 22% higher for homes in Orlando metro
  • 1% lower for homes in Chicago metro

Time to pack your bags for Orlando, DC.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/as_temps_go_down_home_searches_go_up/8059

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