May is National Moving Month — what’s all the hustle about?
May: It’s the busiest time of year for relocation and, thus, is dubbed National Moving Month.
Families, couples and singles around the nation bustle from homebuilder to homebuilder, moving company to moving company, old home to new home in order to find their next dream location.
But what’s the point? Why do hordes of people decide to pack up everything they own and hit the road when it’s so much easier to stay put and comfortable just where you are? Well, we’ve done a little digging and have found that there’s reasoning behind all the moving madness.
According to a U.S. Census Bureau study, 17.2 million out of the 35.9 million people that moved between 2012 and 2013, or 48 percent, said they moved because of housing-related reasons. These could include wanting a better home or apartment, wanting a cheaper living situation, wanting to own a home instead of renting and wanting a better neighborhood with less crime, foreclosure or eviction.
Next to housing-related issues, the family factor was another big aspect driving people to move. The study found that 30.3 percent of movers in that period moved for family-related reasons like establishing a household or a change in marital status.
Coming up third, job-related factors were a factor in moves, the study found. At 19.4 percent, these reasons included things like the mover obtaining or transferring to a new home, moving to be closer to their place of employment, moving to a new area to search for work or moving to a new location for a relaxing retirement.
A small 2.3 percent of movers in the study listed other reasons for moving such as college, health factors, change of climate or natural disaster.
Realtor Magazine did some research of their own and found other factors driving people to search for a new home. Take a look at our infographic to find out just what’s driving all of those home movers out there.
Why Do People Move?
- 48 percent moved for housing-related reasons
- 30.3 percent moved for family
- 19.4 percent moved for employment
- 2.3 percent moved for other reasons
Here’s the breakdown on what each category means:
- Family-related moves involved: to establish own household, other family reasons or a change in marital status;
- Job-related moves involved: new job or job transfer, to be closer to work or for an easier commute, other job-related reason, to look for work or lost job or retirement;
- Housing-related moves involved: other housing reasons, wanted new or better home or apartment, wanted cheaper housing, wanted to own home rather than rent, wanted a better neighborhood or a neighborhood with less crime or foreclosure or eviction; and
- Other reasons involved: other reasons, to attend or leave college, health reasons, change of climate and natural disaster.
What are the Top 10 things that people who are moving want in a home?
- Very energy efficient with lower monthly utility costs
- Requires little or no renovation or improvements
- Has an updated kitchen with modern appliances and fixtures
- A home I can stay in as I get older
- Home is located in a safe neighborhood with low crime
- Fits my budget, without requiring sacrifices
- Offers a lot of privacy from neighbors
- Has a lot of storage space
- Has a good landlord that is responsive to maintenance requests
- Is a good long-term investment
Did You Know?
- 1 in 3 households plan to move in the next five years
- Moving for better housing is more common that moving for a job
- Men are more likely to move for a job than women
- Intracounty moves are more likely for housing reasons
- Intercounty moves are more likely for job-related reasons
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau’s “Reason for Moving: 2012 to 2013 Population Characteristics” and Realtor Magazine’s “Top 10 Unmet Housing Desires Movers May be Looking For”
Are you thinking of making a move? Check out New Home Source to find a newly built home in the area where you’re moving.
Drew Port is a writer for NewHomeSource. She writes on the homebuying process, as well as informing readers on homeownership.