As soon as we get past the Tax Day hangover and the current brouhaha of the Sullivan Co. reassessments, it will be time for the focus to return to all those new residents with a Tri-Cities move in the crosshairs.  

The prime home buying and selling season is upon us. And unless there’s a dramatic change, the region will add another 900 to 1,000 households this year. That was the new household formation total in 2024, which has been declining but it’s still enough to keep the population in a moderate growth mode. It’s also a boon to the local economy. 

According to a new survey by the folks at Realtor.com each mover spends almost $20,000 setting up their new home. Applied to the number of new households in 2024, that’s a cool $21.4 million. The actual economic impact is higher when you factor in all the variables the National Association of Realtors® uses in their economic impact study. More about that in an upcoming report. 

Beyond the base economic impact of new residents, the survey embraces the does and don’t of all movers on the big day. It also found that moving isn’t the dreaded live event that is cracked up to be by some. Moving day is a “mix of joy, excitement, and relief after the stress of the buying process. It presents an opportunity where people are often more open to new products and services,” according to Laura Eddy, vice president of Research and Insights at Realtor®.com. 

Another finding that’s counter to what some believe, many movers want to do their own deep clean – a necessary step in the evolution of a house to a home. Movers explored brands within the cleaning space. Nearly two out of three, 61%, of movers bought a new type of cleaning product, and 51% of movers chose an organic or natural cleaning product option. 

This survey also found Realtor.com® users are more likely than the average mover to deep clean their bathroom (72% vs. 66%), their countertops (69% vs 63%), and windows (61% vs 56%) before or shortly after moving in. 

Here’s some of the other insights from the survey that unpack the mindset of the current crop of movers. 

• The three most common life events for movers within the past 12 months were promotions and/or pay increases (39%), new jobs (21%), and having a child (16%) 
• Existing single-family homes are the most bought type of home (55%). Locally, buyers go for the single-family detached home in higher numbers. 
• Most movers (68%) relocate 50 miles or less from their previous residence. One of the big annual surges is Sullivan Co. residents moving to Washington Co. and Washington Co. residents moving to Sullivan Co. 
• One in four movers did an online search to find their movers during their move. 
• Neighborhood safety and crime rates are the top influences on home purchases. 
• Nearly equal proportions of movers prioritize the neighborhood versus the house itself. 
• Most repeat buyers buy a larger, more expensive home than their previous one. 
• Four in ten movers use a storage unit during their moving process, with most being for less than three-month duration.

To learn more about this report and the modern movers’ mindset, check out the report at https://www.realtor.com/movermindset.