Study: Realtors Confirm Gas Prices Are Changing U.S. Housing Demand

[phantom power]

My wife and I moved closer to her work in 2003. At the time, fuel was still cheap, and it was mostly a lifestyle/mental-health decision. Even so, we figured she would be saving upwards of a thousand bucks a year just on gasoline. And that was driving a corolla, not a massive fuel-hog.

The word is already out that Americans would probably be healthier (and probably a lot happier) if we had shorter daily commutes.

Now it seems that the cost pressure of rising gas prices could be forcing us to do just that--rethink where we're living. If a new survey of real-estate professionals is any indication, American home shoppers are thinking more than ever about shorter driving distances and being closer to shops and services.

Back when gas prices surged in 2008, Americans were cutting back on spending and vacations but few families were doing anything so drastic as moving because of them.

Now, three-quarters of real estate professionals polled said that the recent surge in gas prices has influenced clients' choices on where to live, while 93 percent of real-estate pros said that if gas prices continue to rise, more home buyers will choose to live somewhere that allows for a closer commute to their work.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11141/1148307-185-0.stm?cmpid=business.xml

[Fledermaus]

1. 3.5 miles from work, 7 miles roundtrip, saves $$$ and time

[pscot]

2. Back to the future

Park the DeLorien.

[Tesha]

3. DeLoriens were actually suprisingly fuel efficient, ...

...being an aerodynamic body of composite plastic,
foam, and stainless steel and powered by a relatively
small (IIRC) Renault motor.

It was just the flux capacitor and fusion drive that
gave them the rep' for bad mileage.

Tesha

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Um, the DeLorean gets 18mpg, on the freeway.

My truck does better in the city, and on the highway.


Stainless Steel is heavy.

[kestrel91316]

4. When I am retired I hope to arrange my life so that I only need to drive

once or twice a week. I will need enough land to grow some food and have chickens (lot on edge of small town), and will need to be within electric car range of all necessary shopping and services.

And I'll charge that electric car from solar and/or wind.