Apartment Searches on Google Implode as Coronavirus Pandemic Grows

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RENTCafe.com is reporting this week that the number of sessions decreased by approximately 25% in the week of March 11-17, 2020, as compared to the previous week, a stark contrast to what a typical traffic evolution would be during this time of year. In the same week last year, traffic saw a decrease of about 4% from one week to another, which is much more stable behavior under normal circumstances.

It's no doubt that the pandemic has already put the brakes on apartment searches as renters are trying to figure things out. Other metrics on our site are confirming this atypical behavior.

The overall traffic on the RENTCafe.com site decreased by about 22%, paid advertising traffic dropped by 28%, the rent affordability calculator saw a 49% drop in users, and 48% fewer renters are searching for apartment utility information online. Not only has the traffic decreased sharply in the last week, but the last couple of days are showing the most abrupt changes.

Google Trends show a sharp switch to home, health and work priorities

Having to stay within our homes implies adapting all our daily activities to one place. During this time, home is not just a place you go to once your day is done to rest after a long day. It has turned into your workspace, your safe space, and your only dining location. But given most of us are not used to this, the only way to figure out how to turn our residence into all these things is to research.

This past week, terms like "home office setup", "home workout" and "home disinfection" have become extremely popular overnight. Being forced to stay inside, we must shift our priorities to what we can do from, for and in our homes to work, eat and stay safe, says RENTCafe.com.