One-Third of Real Estate Agents Report Clients Moving Due to Local Politics and Laws
A recent national survey by Redfin found that roughly one-third of real estate agents have at least one client who moved primarily because of local laws or politics in the last year.
The results reported do not mean that one-third of homebuyers moved because of local laws or politics in 2023. This is the first time Redfin has asked its agents this question.
“Factors like housing affordability, proximity to family and living close to job centers often outweigh political preferences or local laws when people are choosing where to live,” Redfin stated.
However, they said the pandemic-drive rise in remote work gave Americans more flexibility in where they could live. And a record number relocated to a different metro area in 2023.
It’s unclear if Connecticut, which is controlled by a Democratic majority, won any residents because of its politics or policies.
“Unlike our neighboring states which are losing population, Connecticut has gained population over the last few years,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday during his state-of-the-state address. “Today we have more people working, more people starting businesses, more people joining labor unions with better pay and better benefits, more of our graduates staying in Connecticut, and more out-of-staters wanting to move here.”
Last year’s passage of laws protecting health care providers who perform abortions or offer gender-affirming care to out-of-state residents has not been tied to any big influx of residents. Other surveys have shown that people move to Connecticut to be closer to family or for a job.
Redfin says it doesn’t have any definitive data regarding the migration trends, but there are anecdotal stories.
Andrew Vallejo, an Austin, TX Redfin Premier agent, said he has helped clients move due to politics.
“I know at least 10 people who have moved away from Texas in the last year, mainly because they don’t agree with state laws,” Vallejo said. “They all moved to the West Coast, to blue places where the policies align better with their personal views, specifically when it comes to women’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights.”
Homebuyers also move in the opposite direction from blue to red states.
Many conservative states have policies that attract business-minded residents, like lower taxes and fewer restrictions on companies. Other people leave blue states for red states to live near people with similar views; for instance, PBS reported on a conservative couple who moved from California to Idaho partly because they felt freedom to display a “Thin Blue Line” banner.