There’s undoubtedly been a major shift in where people prefer to live and spend time following the pandemic. After large cities shut down, the appeal of living ‘downtown’ started to disperse. Priorities of homeowners have changed direction pointing towards locations with more nature. People no longer want to feel couped up in a concrete jungle with no actual trees in sight.

This has sparked a movement where more homeowners are selling their houses and moving to places that offer more nature and outdoor space. Property owners are ok with sacrificing convenience and other benefits of living in a large city for being closer to nature. This priority shift has cascaded into other lifestyle changes for many people. Have you seen an increase in Mercedes Sprinter Minivans driving around, or more tiny homes? At this point, people are yearning for experiences and simplicity more than a lavish city life.

Here are several interesting reasons why so many homeowners are selling their houses and moving to nature.

Reprioritization of Nature and the Outdoors

When the pandemic first hit, homeowners in major cities began leaving in droves. The faster that homeowners could sell their houses and move, the better. It wasn’t uncommon to even see a property owner sell a house to a friend in order to move quickly. People of all kinds were now more interested in outdoor space. This became a huge priority when considering where to live and spend your time. Suburbs and small mountain towns became flooded with people moving out of large cities.

At times during the pandemic, outdoor activities were our only options for things to do during our downtime. Hobbies like hiking, mountain biking, and camping took off as people re-prioritized how they felt about nature. Spending time in the woods now felt ‘cool’ and ‘exciting’. Additionally, gardening grew in popularity, as homeowners cared more about spending time outside. Almost instantly, people became more connected to nature once the pandemic hit. Many of us realized that although having a sleek condo downtown in a major city is nice, spending time in and with nature makes us happier.

Mental Health

It’s hard to argue that the pandemic didn’t cause waves of anxiety throughout our society. Fortunately, the earth that we live on offered us an escape when we needed it most. Mental health is a huge reason why homeowners are selling their houses and moving to nature. Simply put, spending time in nature can feel less stressful than being in a crowded city. Nature offers a sense of freedom as we breathe in fresh air. Walking around outside and going on hikes is a great way to destress and clear your head. It’s incredibly good for both our physical and mental health.

Owner-occupant homeowners aren’t the only people who are selling their properties and moving to the outdoors. For example, many landlords are getting tired of dealing with tenants and choosing to sell their houses. The pandemic caused many financial hardships, which affected both tenants and landlords who own homes with mortgages and other high expenses. After selling off their rental properties, some landlords are looking towards living in more rural areas. The grass can truly be greener on the other side! Living in or close to nature can remove the work-related stress that once tormented your subconscious mind. Being a landlord can be a stressful job if you manage the properties and tenants by yourself. Priorities are shifting towards jobs that are less stressful and that connect us more with our inner selves. Living in nature can help people reach that kind of serenity.

Remote Working

Another massive reason why homeowners are selling their properties and moving to locations with more outdoor accessibility is because of the opportunity to work remotely. Over the past 2 years, the way that employers operate has completely changed. There are now more opportunities to work remotely now than ever before. People can relocate to new areas and work anywhere with a reliable internet connection. Many have taken advantage of this and moved to areas that are closer to or directly within nature.

Entire families, depending on the parents’ jobs, can now pull this off. Many small mountain towns have experienced large increases in population over the past few years from homeowners who have sold their city properties and moved. Remote working opportunities were one of the catalysts for these massive migrations. People can now enjoy nature and the outdoors from the comfort of their own homes while still making a living with their remote jobs.

The ‘average workday’ has also completely changed alongside these lifestyle changes. For example, with enough laptop battery, remote workers can log hours working outside in nature. Not all remote positions require workers to be logged onto the internet for the entire day. This allows remote workers to spend time typing and completing tasks on their laptops while in nature. You can go on a morning hike to a spot that has picnic benches in the woods and get a few hours of work completed. Imagine getting paid to work under beautiful redwood trees or next to a glimmering lake in the mountains. Sounds nice, right? Many homeowners think the same thing, which is why many have sold and moved to nature.

Enjoying Nature Through a Different Lifestyle

Regardless of your preferred lifestyle or the type of house you enjoy living in, the past few years have pulled more and more people towards nature. A simpler style of living in smaller towns surrounded by beautiful outdoors is rising in overall interest. Homeowners are less interested in city living. They are reaching higher levels of happiness in their lives through being closer to nature. Spending more time outside has helped people decrease anxiety and connect more with the earth. Adding things like hiking and gardening to your routine can help you become closer to nature even if you live in a more urban area.

 About the Author:

Haley Dempsey is an experienced writer for the real estate industry. She loves to garden at home and is an advocate for hiking.