GayRealEstate.com LGBTQ homebuyer relocation study cites discrimination concerns
A company-commissioned survey says discrimination fears shape LGBTQ+ relocation choices, but the release provides no methodology or data.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
GayRealEstate.com has released an LGBTQ homebuyer relocation study that puts discrimination concerns, legal protections and neighborhood conditions at the center of where respondents said they could consider living. The company-commissioned research, published in a GlobeNewswire release dated Aug. 10, said it involved more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ people.
The release did not include field dates, how participants were recruited, respondent demographics, survey questions, weighting or an underlying dataset. Its percentages therefore describe the responses reported by the company, rather than a documented representative estimate of LGBTQ+ homebuyers nationwide.
GayRealEstate.com said 76% of respondents had avoided an area, would avoid one, or had considered doing so because they feared discrimination. The finding frames relocation as a housing-access issue as well as a question of price, commute and available homes.
What shapes LGBTQ+ homebuyer relocation decisions?
Legal protections were the most prominent policy issue in the release. It said 66.4% of respondents treated the political climate around LGBTQ+ laws as a medium or high priority in deciding where to live, while 54.4% chose anti-discrimination rules covering housing, employment and public places as the policy most likely to affect a move.
Protections and LGBTQ+ rights vary across states and cities, according to the release, so prospective residents should check the laws that apply locally. Other policy considerations selected by respondents included public-accommodation protections, school-curriculum laws, gender-affirming healthcare and the ability of local governments to adopt stronger protections.
The company also pointed to local safety, LGBTQ+ visibility, affordability, inclusive businesses, community organizations, support networks and access to affirming healthcare and mental-health services. It cautioned that a city’s reputation may not reflect every neighborhood, and that experiences can vary between neighborhoods and cities within a state.
What did respondents report about housing discrimination?
According to the release, 59% said they or someone they knew had faced discrimination during a real-estate journey. It also said 53% identified finding an LGBTQ+-friendly neighborhood as their biggest challenge in a home search, and 54% had concealed, or would consider concealing, their LGBTQ+ identity to secure housing.
Sixty percent said they would be willing to pay more to live in an LGBTQ+-friendly area, the company reported. The response measures willingness to pay; it does not establish whether such areas carry higher home prices.
The release recommends researching laws and individual neighborhoods, visiting potential communities and considering experienced LGBTQ+-friendly agents. Those suggestions align with the company’s business: its LGBTQ+-friendly real-estate agent directory connects buyers and sellers with agents and provides relocation resources.