A record number of city dwellers are looking to relocate to more affordable and less-dense areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from Redfin.

More than a quarter of people searching on Redfin.com in April and May—27%—were looking to move to a different metro area, up from 25% the previous year, according to the report. And searches for homes in small towns were up 87% in May.

"People are starting to take the plunge and move away from big, expensive cities, though most of them were probably already considering a lifestyle change," said Redfin economist Taylor Marr. "The pandemic and the work-from-home opportunities that come with it is accelerating migration patterns that were already in place toward relatively affordable parts of the country. But for many people, the lure of large homes in wide open spaces will be a passing dream fueled by coronavirus-induced isolation."

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Karen Sloan

Karen Sloan is the Legal Education Editor and Senior Writer at ALM. Contact her at [email protected]. On Twitter: @KarenSloanNLJ Sign up for Ahead of the Curve—her weekly email update on trends and innovation in legal education—here: https://www.law.com/briefings/ahead-of-the-curve/