Influence of Transportation on Residential Choice: A Survey of Texas REALTORS® on Factors Affecting Housing Location Choice

Transportation is just one factor that often plays a role in determining the location of a home during the buying process. Through a survey given to licensed Texas REALTORS about their last transaction, this project determined which factors are most important to Texans and how these vary in Texas as a whole, in Texas' major metropolitan areas (Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi), and in rural and smaller metropolitan areas. The report shows that there are numerous factors involved in the housing location decision and that transportation and traffic concerns are not the most important factors in this process and suggests a paradigm shift for how transportation improvements could be viewed. Instead of the traditional view of only addressing transportation issues using transportation means, stakeholders may be able to impact one topical area (transportation) by addressing a completely different area (e.g., crime, neighborhood quality, affordability, etc.). This new paradigm shows that while direct policy forces will affect an area like transportation, housing, safety, or education, these areas do not exist within a vacuum. In this case, other options and factors in the housing location decision specifically affect transportation.