For DC-Area Homebuyers, A/C is More Important than Family

• August 13, 2019

by Nena Perry-Brown

A new Zillow study finds that nearly 90 percent of homebuyers in the DC area cite air conditioning (A/C) as very or extremely important in their homebuying decision. By comparison, only half of buyers surveyed cited proximity to family and friends as very or extremely important to their decision.

Considering how hot and humid DC-area summers have been, and the prevalence of transplants from other areas, the ranking of these priorities makes sense. Of the five metro areas specifically examined for this data point, DC had the highest share of homebuyers who placed emphasis on air conditioning.

The demand for A/C in the DC area does not have a significant impact on home prices, as previous research showed that central A/C carries a 1.7 percent, or $6,800, premium over homes without central A/C.

The Zillow study uses 13,439 responses from online survey data acquired in partnership with a research firm to get a representative sample of the US population. The "Buyers", defined as the primary decision-maker living in a home they purchased within 12 months of the survey, accounted for 3,000 of the respondents.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/for-dc-area-homebuyers-ac-is-more-important-than-family/15741