As it stands today, roughly 52% of homeowners say they would be comfortable moving to a new home under the current public health conditions, but the percentage of comfortable homeowners increases to 70% after widespread COVID-19 vaccine distribution, according to a recent Zillow survey of U.S. homeowners. Manny Garcia, Zillow population scientist, says that’s a difference equal to more than 14 million households feeling newly comfortable moving once the vaccine is administered to a larger portion of the population.
“We expect that the vaccine rollout will likely boost inventory, as sellers become increasingly willing to move despite COVID-19, resulting in greater numbers of new listings beginning this spring,” says Garcia in the Zillow report. “That injection of inventory could give buyers more options and breathing room in a competitive market. The vaccine, however, will also likely add to already-strong demand, given that most sellers will become buyers as they trade in for a home that better suits their new needs.”
