How remote work reshaped the housing market

Downtown Boston real estate for sale 

How remote work reshaped the housing market

But your salary is only half the equation. Where you live shapes what you can afford just as much. And if you can work remotely, you have an advantage a lot of buyers don’t. 

You’re not tied to living where the jobs are, so you can look where your money goes further.

Where You Work Doesn’t Have To Dictate Where You Live

Remote job openings are on the rise. According to FlexJobs, remote job postings climbed 22% from the quarter before. That’s the second quarter in a row of double-digit growth. 

More remote roles mean more people can choose a home base around the life they want to build. As Forbes puts it: 

“Remote employees, freelancers, consultants, entrepreneurs, and business owners have the flexibility to choose a home base based on the life they want to build, whether that means more space, a lower cost of living, better access to nature, or simply somewhere new.”

And you can use that freedom to look somewhere more affordable.

Your Paycheck Goes Much Further in Some States

Your cost of living – what you spend on housing, groceries, utilities, and the rest of daily life – varies a lot from one state to the next. In some, according to data from Extra Space, it runs far enough below the national average to change what you can afford (see map below):

Take Mississippi, for example, where the cost of living sits about 17% below average, or West Virginia at roughly 15% below. When day-to-day life costs less, you can put more of your income toward your goals, homeownership included. Relocate Right describes it this way: 

“Remote work has fundamentally changed the calculus of where to live. When your employer is in San Francisco, but you can work from anywhere, the question is no longer ‘where are the jobs’ but ‘where does my salary go furthest and what kind of life can I build.’”

For a first-time buyer, working remotely could be a chance to put down roots and finally buy. Because with that kind of flexibility, you get to choose where to live and which places work best for your life and goals. 

What To Weigh Before You Go

A lower cost of living is a great start. But it’s also important to consider the things a budget spreadsheet won’t show you, because a place can look like a great fit on paper and still not feel like home. 

• Is the internet fast and steady enough to do your job without interruptions? 

• Will it be easy to make friends and settle into a routine once you arrive?

• Does it have the amenities you want, like public transportation or decent takeout?

This is where a local real estate agent comes in. They can help you weigh a big move against a nearby one, because every state has more affordable pockets. Sometimes they’re closer than you think.

An agent will know which neighborhoods fit your budget and have the features you’re after, whether that’s walkability, good restaurants, parks, or a nearby farmer’s market. 

Bottom Line

With remote work, where you live can be your decision instead of your employer’s. And that puts more affordable places within reach.

Want to explore where that could take you? Connect with a local real estate agent to see what’s possible.

How remote work reshaped the housing market

There are many who insist that the Boston condo for sale market will follow its historical trend, and I like to say ‘it’s different now’ just to irritate them.

Why is the Real Estate Market Different now?

Every Boston condo buyer has had to qualify for their mortgage and use a sizable down payment, the vast majority have been buying their forever home (even if they didn’t know it at the time), and homeowners at the coast will likely be paying big figures in capital-gains taxes if they sell – which means that they need to leave downtown Boston to really make it worth moving.  As a result, the number of people who are willing to sell has ilummeted, which has kept the pressure on Boston condos for sale prices.

The demand is different too. Back in the old days, it used to be loosely tied to incomes, but that flew out the window decades ago around here. The influx of affluent people has helped, but there is also a big difference that these researchers have explored – working from home:

The Boston Condo For Sale Market and Remote Work

It’s no secret that Americans’ newfound remote work lifestyles drove demand for larger homes with more comfortable workspaces.

What’s new: That demand may be responsible for more than half of the surge in real estate prices during the pandemic, according to a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

• It’s one of the first papers that aims to quantify how remote work reshaped the housing market.

A Shift in the Housing Market

If the research holds up, it signals a fundamental shift in the housing market — that it wasn’t just low-interest rates and fiscal stimulus that drove up Boston condo for sale prices.

Home Prices Increasing

It found that remote work led to about 15 percentage points of the 24% average increase in home prices between December 2019 and November 2021.

Details: The paper’s authors are John A. Mondragon, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and Johannes Wieland, of the University of California, San Diego’s economics department.

• The researchers found that after controlling for COVID migration, regions with the highest rates of remote work experienced much higher home price growth during the period.
• They also observed a similar effect on residential rents — along with declines in commercial rents — in these areas.

What they’re saying: This implies a shift in demand, as many pandemic homebuyers and renters sought to upgrade to larger, and more expensive homes to support their telework lifestyles, said Mondragon.

The Bottom Line: 

Policymakers like those at the Fed would be wise to pay close attention to the evolution of remote work because it will help determine the future of home prices — and of overall inflation, the economists wrote.

Ford Realty Menu of Options for Boston and the North Shore

Buyers receive 60% rebate from our portion of the broker fee

Renters flat fee $1,000 regardless the price of the apartment.

As a home seller, it sounds like you have a solid grasp of the current 2026 landscape for flat-fee listings in the Boston and North Shore areas. Here is a concise breakdown of how those Ford Realty tiers typically function based on the service levels you’ve identified:

1. Basic “Entry Only” – $500.00

• Visibility: Your home is listed on the local MLS, which syndicates to Zillow, Realtor.com, and local brokerage sites.
• Your Role: You are the primary point of contact. You handle photography, scheduling all showings, vetting buyers, and all contract negotiations.
• Best for: Experienced sellers or those comfortable managing real estate paperwork and logistics independently. 

2. Flat Fee (Assisted) – Starting at $1,500.00

• The Upgrade: The broker takes professional photos and handles the listing setup.
• Added Support: You gain professional guidance for the initial setup, ensuring the listing looks polished to attract higher-quality leads.
• Broker Role: 60-day listing, one open house per month, schedule day and evening showings. The negative is that the full fee is due after 60 days even if the house/condo doesn’t sell or go under agreement.

3. Full-Service – 1% Commission 

• The Full Package: Professional photography and floor plans are included.
• Active Management: The broker hosts one open house per month and handles day/evening showings.
• Logistics: They are physically present for the BFD smoke detector inspection and the home inspection, taking significant stress off your plate. 

Key Financial Reminders

• Buyer’s Side: Regardless of your flat fee, remember to factor in the 2%–3% commission for the buyer’s agent to keep your home competitive.
• Tax/Closing: Budget for the MA transfer tax ($4.56 per $1,000) and ensure all Condo fees are cleared to avoid delays at closing. 

BUYERS REBATE

Boston and North Shore Buyers: We provide a 55% rebate of our commission to you, as the buyer, for homes priced over 500,000.