People Want A/C More Than They Want to Be Near Family and Friends

Shopping for a home to buy or rent is always an exercise in compromise. Maybe you get the better commute, but not the big back yard. Maybe the style is exactly right, but kitchen storage space is lacking.

It's a juggling act, and one that air conditioning wins a lot of the time.

More than three-quarters (76%) of home buyers say air conditioning is "very" or "extremely" important, and two-thirds (66.4%) of renters agree, according to Zillow Group 2018 Consumer Housing Trends Report. A far smaller share of each group says it's similarly important to be near family or friends: 46.7% of buyers and 36.2% of renters.

The divide is especially stark in hot parts of the country. In Phoenix, which at certain times of year is more hospitable to saguaros and javelinas than to humans, nearly all buyers – 96.5% — say air conditioning is "very" or "extremely" important. Being near family and friends? 31.9% say it is similarly important. Renters aren't quite as polarized, with 89.1% in Phoenix saying A/C is that important and 32.3% saying the same of being close to friends and family.

In the South – known for being hot and sticky in the summer – almost twice the share of buyers value A/C (87.6%) over being near family and friends (44%). Again, renters are less adamant: 82.2% of renters in the South consider air conditioning "very" or "extremely" important, and 37.6% say the same of being close to family and friends. Not surprisingly, the spread is similarly pronounced in Southern hotspot Atlanta, also known as "Hotlanta," where 88.6% of buyers dig their A/C compared to 41.9% who put a high value on being near family and friends.

San Francisco buyers and renters have a far less significant gap in wanting air conditioning versus valuing proximity to friends and family, which makes sense for the city that rarely sees temperatures reach 80 degrees. While more than half (55.7%) of buyers there say A/C is "very" or "extremely" important, 46.4% value being near friends and family. San Francisco renters are the only group surveyed for which the share who view close proximity to friends and family (30.3%) is greater than the share who place a high value on A/C (28.3%).

The differences vary by generation as well, with Silent Generation buyers showing a high preference (89.5%) for air conditioning over family and friends (56.7%) — possibly because they're more likely to live in warmer climates.

The post People Want A/C More Than They Want to Be Near Family and Friends appeared first on Zillow Research.

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