Homebuyers Look Beyond Local Markets as Affordability Shapes Demand

AUSTIN, Texas – Home shoppers are increasingly looking beyond their local markets as affordability, employment opportunities and proximity shape where they search for a home. 

Three in five home views on Realtor.com from the 100 largest U.S. metros went to listings outside those markets in the second quarter of 2026, according to Realtor.com’s Cross Market Demand Report.

At 60.1%, out-of-market home views were up from 48.2% in the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019 and 59.1% a year earlier, highlighting the continued shift toward a more interconnected housing market.

“Home shoppers are increasingly looking beyond the market where they live, but the reasons vary by metro,” said Jiayi Xu, senior economist at Realtor.com. “In lower-cost markets, affordability gives residents a reason to stay and attracts shoppers from more expensive places. Where prices have outrun local budgets, shoppers are looking farther afield, sometimes toward a more affordable nearby market and sometimes toward a stronger job center.”

In the second quarter of 2026, nearly two-thirds of online home views from Western metros went to listings outside those markets, compared with 59.8% in the South, 58.3% in the Northeast and 56.1% in the Midwest.

Before the pandemic, the West was the only region where more than half of online home views went to listings outside the local market. The West has continued to lead, while the Midwest has recorded the lowest share since the pandemic.

Shoppers in 14 of the 100 largest metros were more likely to keep their home search close to home, with more than half of their online traffic going to listings within their own metro. St. Louis led the group at 59.8%, followed by Cleveland; Memphis, Tenn.; Pittsburgh; Tampa, Fla.; and Louisville, Ky.

In each of these markets, median listing prices were below the national average, suggesting that relative affordability may make it easier for local shoppers to find a home that fits their budget without looking farther afield.

The same affordability advantage can also attract shoppers from more expensive markets. For 13 of the 14 metros, the largest out-of-market source was a metro with higher median listing prices, including Chicago shoppers looking toward St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn., and Washington, D.C., shoppers looking toward Cleveland and Pittsburgh.