New survey reveals the importance of the neighborhood and what Americans are willing to sacrifice

According to the survey, 84 percent of Americans said the neighborhood would be equally important or more important than the house itself, if they were searching for a new home. In order to live in their ideal neighborhood, they would be willing to give up the following features if searching for a new home:

• A pool (72 percent)
• A furnished basement (55 percent)
• Square footage (33 percent)
• Garage (21 percent)
• Yard (19 percent)
• A bathroom (13 percent)
• A bedroom (12 percent)

Safety (80 percent) and accessibility (62 percent), as defined by proximity to work, restaurants, grocery stores and activities, overwhelmingly are most important when it comes to the neighborhood they live in. However, for parents of children under 18, schools (62 percent) came second to safety (79 percent).

“We have heard repeatedly from consumers how important it is to feel safe walking your dog at night, how local school ratings matter for their children, and how walkability to restaurants and entertainment is the ultimate convenience. These are all dimensions that play a huge role in deciding on the right home,” continues Reiter.

The House Is Only Half Of It – The Coburns (PRNewsfoto/Trulia)

To ease these often difficult decisions, Trulia and its map overlays surface deep neighborhood insights on safety, schools, commutes and even surrounding dog parks and night life, helping home shoppers make informed decisions on where to live.

Other interesting findings from the survey include:

• Multiple trips to determine neighborhood fit – as part of their home search, more than two-thirds (69 percent) of Americans said they would drive through the neighborhood during different times of the day to determine if the neighborhood was the right fit for them.
• More neighborhood and home research done online – not every buyer is within driving distance of their home. People who are relocating to cities and states often need to make a decision using only online information. In fact, house hunting today is increasingly done online. Among Americans who have ever searched for a home, 78 percent have used the internet on either a computer or mobile device – up from 73 percent in 2012.
• Some are wiling to pay a premium – Unfortunately, every budget has a limit. When asked, Americans were split 50-50 on whether or not they would be willing to pay above listing price to live in their ideal neighborhood, if they were looking for a new home (50 percent would and 50 percent would not).

Survey Methodology:
The 2017 survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Trulia from April 3-5, 2017 among 2,159 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The 2012 survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Trulia from November 15-19, 2012 among 2,083 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. Thes online surveys are not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.