A report by Redfin indicates page views of homes in small towns increased 105 percent year-over-year during the seven-day period ending May 1.
In rural counties with fewer than 10,000 people, Redfin said page views climbed 76 percent, an increase from the prior year, but a deceleration from the 170 percent rise a month before.
“During the first month of the pandemic, interest in rural areas skyrocketed while interest in cities fell, with many urbanites dreaming of packing up and heading for the hills,” Redfin Lead Economist Taylor Marr said in a release. “Some of that boost in rural areas proved to be temporary, but it appears to be more sustainable in small towns, which may be a more realistic option for those looking to work from home primarily or commute into the office once or twice a week.”
According to the report, homes in urban metro areas with at least 1 million people saw a 16 percent jump in page views during the week ending May 1..
Redfin said although pending homes sales are down across the board, less-populous areas aren’t being hit quite as hard as large cities are. Pending sales decreased 39 percent in urban metro areas during the week ending May 1, compared with a drop of 25 percent in both small towns and rural areas.
The report said there were 40,952 homes under contract to be sold nationwide during the week ending May 1, a 35 percent decrease from the same period the prior year.