People looking for a new home typically spend about 2.4 months deliberating before securing a place, and visit an average of 3.8 listings in person before signing a final contract, a survey found. In particular, the preference for having work and home close together—"proximity between work and residence"—was cited as the biggest reason for deciding to move.
On the 1st, according to a moving experience survey conducted by Karrot Real Estate, the real estate service of Karrot, which recently surveyed 971 users who had completed actual contracts, people in their 30s checked homes the most meticulously. The home-search period for those in their 30s averaged 2.7 months, the longest of all age groups, and they visited an average of 4.1 properties in person, the most among all groups.
By contrast, people in their 20s signed a home contract quickly, in an average of 1.4 months. This is seen as reflecting the distinctive housing patterns of people in their 20s, who move more frequently and more often sign monthly rent contracts.
Search behavior also differed clearly by how people obtain a home (transaction type). Buyers, who put down a large lump sum and aim for long-term residence, took the most care, checking 4.3 homes over an average of 3.6 months. By comparison, jeonse tenants looked at 4.1 places over an average of 2.5 months, while monthly rent tenants considered 3.5 places over an average of 1.8 months before deciding.
As the main reasons people decided to move out of their long-familiar homes (multiple responses), "job change and shorter commute distance" ranked first at 40.2%. That was followed by ▲ easing the burden of housing expenses (17.8%) ▲ moving to a better neighborhood (13.1%) ▲ switching from jeonse or monthly rent to ownership (10.5%) ▲ getting married or starting cohabitation (9.1%) ▲ considering children's education environment (8.8%).
When using real estate applications (apps), the information that provided practical help in making a contract decision was "detailed listing descriptions and photos (62%)," which topped the list. Notably, beyond basic information, factors that boosted credibility had a strong impact. ▲ reviews from people who have lived there (35.6%) ▲ verified-listing labels (34.6%) ▲ reviews of licensed real estate agent offices (19.8%) followed.
Meanwhile, the survey was conducted on May 11–17. As for the participants' housing transaction methods, agency transactions through licensed real estate agents accounted for 56.3%, while direct transactions between the parties made up 43.7%.