Realtor.com® Home Crush Survey: Women More Likely than Men to Crush on Out of League Homes

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Realtor.com®, the leader in online real estate operated by Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), today released the results of its Home Crush Survey, which revealed that men and women are notably different when it comes to developing a crush on a home. In this survey, a home crush is defined as a home a consumer likes and is drawn back to looking at more than once online or in person. The survey ran on realtor.com® from Jan. 9-20 and found that more than 1,000 respondents reported having a home crush.

"We conducted the survey to see how searching for 'the one' in real estate correlates to searching for 'the one' in love and we found that they are very similar. Buyers have to evaluate crushes based on turn ons and offs and whether the home is in their league, so they often find themselves spending a good amount of time checking out their crush online," said Barbara O'Connor, chief marketing officer at realtor.com®.    

Majority of all surveyed consumers report having a home crush:

• 69 percent of those surveyed reported that they have had a house crush
• 31 percent revealed that they have not had a crush on a house

"According to our data, another similarity between romance and real estate love is that men and women prioritize differently. Men are more likely to move from one crush to another on a weekly basis and consider a garage as an important home feature. Women tend to find a new home crush on a monthly basis and swoon for updated appliances and fixtures. However, the survey found that women and men share some common ground in that outdoor living spaces topped the list as the attribute most likely to make them fall in real estate love," said Leslie Piper, consumer housing specialist at realtor.com®. "Whether it's love or real estate, having a short list of deal breakers is critical for finding 'the one' to help buyers weed through the crushes to find the home of their dreams."

Of the survey respondents who have had a home crush:

Women are more likely to cultivate crushes on homes that are out of their league financially:

• Of the women included in the survey…
  • 41 percent revealed that their home crush is out of their price range
  • 59 percent reported that their home crush is in their price range
• Of the men included in the survey…
  • 30 percent indicated their home crush is out of their price range
  • 70 percent shared that their home crush is in their price range

How often men and women establish a new crush on a home:

• Of the women included in the survey…
  • 29 percent indicated they cultivate a new house crush weekly
  • 26 percent believe they develop a new house crush monthly
  • 17 percent reported that they develop a new crush on a house quarterly
• Of the men included in the survey…
  • 36 percent indicated they find a new house crush weekly
  • 19 percent shared that they establish a new house crush monthly
  • 15 percent revealed that they develop a new crush on a house quarterly

Top attributes that make consumers fall in real estate love:

• Of the women included in the survey…
  • 54 percent reported that outdoor living spaces make them fall in real estate love
  • 42 percent shared open floor plans
  • 29 percent swoon for curb appeal
  • 29 percent revealed updated appliances and fixtures
• Of the men included in the survey…
  • 46 percent indicated outdoor living spaces make them fall in real estate love
  • 40 percentage swoon for garages
  • 35 percent reported curb appeal
  • 30 percent revealed open floor plans

For full list of survey results, please contact Lexie Puckett at [email protected]

Supporting Resources

• Read more about realtor.com®
• Follow @realtordotcom on Twitter
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ABOUT realtor.com®

Operated by Move, Inc., (NASDAQ: MOVE), realtor.com® helps connect people with the content, tools and expertise they need to find their perfect home. As the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®, realtor.com® empowers consumers to make the smartest decisions when it comes to finding a home by leveraging direct connections with more than 800 MLSs to deliver the most accurate and up-to-date listing information in neighborhoods across the country, and by making timely and meaningful connections between consumers and REALTORS®. Whether through desktop, mobile, or tablet versions, realtor.com® is where home happens.

ABOUT MOVE, INC.

Move, Inc. (NASDAQ:MOVE), the leader in online real estate, operates:  realtor.com®, the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®; Move.com, a leading destination for new homes and rental listings, moving, home and garden, and home finance; ListHub™, the leading syndicator of real estate listings; Moving.com™; SeniorHousingNet; SocialBios; Doorsteps®; TigerLead® Top Producer® Systems and FiveStreet.  Move, Inc. is based in San Jose, California.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of Move's future expectations, plans and prospects, within the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of Move, its subsidiaries, divisions and concepts to be materially different from those expressed or implied in such statements. These risk factors and others are included from time to time in documents Move files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, its Form 10-Ks, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on Move's future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. Move cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, Move expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE realtor.com