Number of people moving to new metro areas increases

Nationwide, 31.1 percent of Redfin users looked to move to a different metro in the second quarter, up from 27.6 percent during the same time period last year, according to a new report from Redfin.

Movement from one part of the country to another started rising with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic as remote work allowed homebuyers to prioritize affordability and living near family and friends above proximity to the office. Though the share of Redfin.com users searching outside their home metro slipped slightly from the first quarter to the second quarter, it is still well above pre-pandemic levels.

"Some pandemic trends are here to stay, and moving to a more affordable part of the country is part of the new normal," said Daryl Fairweather, Redfin chief economist. "In fact, the Biden administration plans to make it easier for Americans to move to a new state by encouraging the FTC to ban certain occupational licensing restrictions. That would make it easier for a