BY GRANT LANCASTER
Despite news that the state’s stay-at-home order will run until the end of April, most New Yorkers searching for a new apartment still plan to go ahead with their move, a survey said.
Over half of the 7,000 New Yorkers surveyed March 25-27 by real estate site RENTcafe, 52% of those surveyed, said that they would move as soon as they found an apartment, despite uncertain conditions from the COVID-19 viral outbreak. This was down slightly from the 56% who said they still planned to move in a survey on March 18-20.
The percentage of respondents who said they were staying put was unchanged at 17%, but the percentages of people who said they were unsure, putting off their search a few weeks or considering renewing their lease saw slight bumps.
Of the respondents, 17% said they were unsure, up one percentage point from the earlier survey, 10% reported putting their search on hold, up from 8% the week before and 4% said they were considering renewing their lease, compared to 3% in the earlier survey.
Most renters, 42% did not have concerns moving during the pandemic, the percentage wondering if it is safe to move now rose from week to week, up to 24%, the site reported.
While renters seem generally optimistic about moving, there was a 6% increase in renters requesting virtual tours or additional pictures before making their final decision.
