One-Third of Real Estate Agents Worked With Clients Who Relocated Due to Local Laws or Politics in 2023

Heading into a national election year, it seems buyer had politics on their mind when it came time to relocating in 2023. According to new survey results out from Redfin, 32 percent of real estate agents have at least one client who moved primarily because of local laws or politics in the last year.

This is according to a Redfin-commissioned survey conducted by Qualtrics of 500 real estate agents from a wide spectrum of brokerages, conducted in December 2023. This report is based on results from the following question: “Have any of your customers over the past 12 months decided to move primarily because of state or local laws or politics?” The answer choices were “Yes,” “No” and “I don’t know.” 

Some of the most common migration routes last year were from blue states to red or purple states: San Francisco to Austin; Seattle to Phoenix; New York to Florida. And while due in large part to housing affordability, Redfin notes that some homebuyers moved because they wanted to live in a more conservative place.