Homeowners Value A/C Over Proximity to Family and Friends

A new survey found that the majority of homeowners value living in a home with air conditioning over living near their friends or family, Zillow reports.

More than three-quarters (76%) of home buyers say air conditioning is “very” or “extremely” important, and two-thirds (66.4%) of renters agree, according to Zillow Group 2018 Consumer Housing Trends Report. A far smaller share of each group says it’s similarly important to be near family or friends: 46.7% of buyers and 36.2% of renters.

The divide is especially stark in hot parts of the country. In Phoenix, which at certain times of year is more hospitable to saguaros and javelinas than to humans, nearly all buyers – 96.5% — say air conditioning is “very” or “extremely” important. Being near family and friends? 31.9% say it is similarly important. Renters aren’t quite as polarized, with 89.1% in Phoenix saying A/C is that important and 32.3% saying the same of being close to friends and family.

San Francisco buyers and renters have a far less significant gap in wanting air conditioning versus valuing proximity to friends and family, which makes sense for the city that rarely sees temperatures reach 80 degrees. While more than half (55.7%) of buyers there say A/C is “very” or “extremely” important, 46.4% value being near friends and family. San Francisco renters are the only group surveyed for which the share who view close proximity to friends and family (30.3%) is greater than the share who place a high value on A/C (28.3%).

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