Apartment Hunting Resumes in April, Pointing to High Renter Optimism
Searches for apartments have returned to pre-pandemic levels, a welcome trend for residents and the rental market alike.
Image via Pixabay
In mid-March, Google trends were showing how people’s interests shifted from apartment searches towards home office setups and home disinfection, as the first impact of Covid-19 was felt. Merely a month later, all signs are pointing to the fact that renters are back to searching for apartments to rent. Searches for apartments have returned to pre-pandemic volumes, both on Google Trends, on our website and in real life, a breeze of optimism for both consumers and the rental market eager to move forward.
April traffic on RENTCafe.com surpasses pre-crisis levels by 17 Percent
It’s been almost two months since the pandemic was declared an official crisis in the U.S., intersecting with what was supposed to be the beginning of the rental season. While in mid-March we saw searches on our website drop, the most recent April numbers are showing not only a return to pre-crisis levels, but a 17 percent increase compared to the beginning of March before the drop. Starting with the end of March and into April, searches have been growing from one week to the next. The bounce-back and realignment of apartment searches with typical seasonal trends are positive indicators that consumer optimism is returning.
