Pacific Northwest Sees Spike in Central Air Home Searches Amid Heat Wave

During a massive heat wave at the end of June, homebuyers in the Pacific Northwest flocked to homes with central air conditioning.

At a time when buyers are willing to make nearly any concession to lock down a home, cooling proves to be one home feature that an increasing number of shoppers are not willing to compromise on, at least in the Pacific Northwest.

Nationally, the number of homebuyers searching for homes specifically with central A/C hasn’t topped the 2020 summer season when workers were forced to face the heat while working from home. But in Oregon and Washington, where the heat wave was the most dire, searches for A/C spiked.

During the heat wave, hundreds of homebuyers in Oregon and Washington narrowed their search to include central air as a mandatory feature, more than double the number just a week prior. The period of June 27-29 had the most searches for central air than any other three-day period on record (since 2018). During this time, searches for homes with central A/C were up 106% over the previous week, and up 174% over the same period last year.

Peak A/C season in this region is typically at the end of July, but this heat wave pulled that peak forward by an entire month. The spike in searches for central A/C has since subsided as temperatures in the region have cooled, but if another heat wave hits the PNW this summer, we may see more record-breaking activity from buyers looking to escape the punishing heat.

Realtor.com Visitors Searching for Homes with Central Air in Washington and Oregon

Out of 13,600 homes currently for sale in Washington and Oregon (single family homes, condos, and townhomes), only 3,600 — 26% — have central air conditioning. In the city of Seattle, only 147 (14%) of the 1,030 homes currently for sale have central air conditioning.

Is A/C a Necessity or Luxury? Your Answer Probably Depends on Where you Live

According to 2019 data from the American Housing Survey, just 44% of homes in the Seattle metro area have some sort of air conditioning — the lowest rate of any major city. Moreover, only 22% homes in Seattle specifically have central air conditioning.

Seattle sits in stark contrast to the national trend showing that 91% of U.S. homes have some sort of air conditioning, and 71% have central air conditioning, but there is significant variation by geography.

At higher latitudes on the coasts, central air is less common with only 37% of owner-occupied homes in New England (which includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), 55% of these homes in the Middle Atlantic Division (which includes New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), and 61% of owner-occupied homes in the Pacific Division (which includes Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii) equipped with central air conditioning compared with 92% of owner occupied homes in the South Atlantic Division (which includes Florida, George, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland).

Despite the currently-low prevalence of A/C in the Pacific Northwest, more heat waves may push cooling into the realm of “necessity” for many.

Share of Owner-Occupied Homes with Central Air – by Census Subdivision

Looking for Ways to Cope with the Heat?

Knowledge is the first step.  If you’re now looking for something to do to cope with the heat, our colleagues at realtor.com/news have tips and advice to share on how to cope with the heat regardless of your home’s current air conditioning status and how to keep your equipment in top shape if you’ve already got it.

1. How to stay cool without air conditioning

2. How to stay cool while saving money: run AC or open windows?

3. VIDEO: Telltale signs you need a new air conditioner

4. VIDEO: How to clean air-conditioner coils

Nicolas Bedo,

Danielle Hale

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