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Buffalo, New York. Prices in the for-sale housing market remain high, pushing renters to delay home purchases. Zillow reports significant out-of-town rental searches in Buffalo, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, and Dallas.
In markets with recent in-migration like Salt Lake City, Raleigh, Hartford, and Nashville, out-of-town searches now exceed local searches. Rental demand acts as a leading indicator for future home sales, as renting allows people to test communities before committing. Zillow’s chief economist, Mischa Fisher, notes that surges in out-of-town browsing in markets like Buffalo and Chicago suggest a pipeline of newcomers is developing.
These markets also have lower home prices compared to the national median of $434,100 in July. While rents have risen after easing over the past few years, August saw a month-to-month increase for the first time in four years, though they remain slightly below August 2025 levels. Out-of-town searches on Zillow are predominantly from neighboring states, except in New York City, where renters increasingly look for listings in the Sunbelt, including Miami, Orlando, and Tampa.
Fisher explains that strong out-of-town interest in smaller markets often reflects affordability, while interest flowing into major metros is typically driven by job opportunities or regional factors. Despite pandemic-era migration to the South, these regions remain more affordable than East and West coasts, influencing relocation decisions. Thirty-seven of the top 50 cities for renters in RentCafe’s rankings are in the South, with McKinney, Huntsville, and Austin leading the list based on cost of living, renter income growth, and employment growth.
Source: CNBC
