How movers decide: Nextdoor advertising data

Moving on Nextdoor: 2026 insights for advertisers

66% of neighbors update their Nextdoor address within a month of moving, and 37% do it within a week — arriving on the platform exactly when they're choosing a real estate agent, hiring a mover, and outfitting a new home, before habits or brand loyalties are set.

Nextdoor's 2026 Moving Insights Report details why neighbors relocate, how they choose a home and neighborhood, and what they buy once they're in. The data shows a household in near-constant purchase mode — 93% work with a real estate agent, 57% hire a professional mover, and more than half buy new home décor within a year of moving.

Moving activity is climbing even with interest rates elevated, and long-distance moves have nearly doubled over the past decade. That combination — more movers, moving farther, into unfamiliar markets — gives advertisers across real estate, home services, retail, CPG, and financial services a growing, high-intent audience to reach before their new routines lock in.

Neighbors are moving farther from home than they used to 

The share of moves crossing into a new media market has nearly doubled, from 18% in 2016 to 35% in the first half of 2026. Mountain West states posted the strongest per-capita net in-migration of any region in H1 2026.

• 35% of moves now involve a change in DMA, up from 18% a decade ago.
• Movers overwhelmingly land in a neighborhood with a similar density to the one they left — 56% of neighbors leaving a dispersed suburb move to another dispersed suburb rather than jumping to an urban core or rural area.
• Lower-density suburbs are the single most common destination overall.

Implication for advertisers: long-distance movers arrive in markets with no existing brand relationships to lean on. Run local-market conquesting creative in high in-migration states, and lead with neighborhood-specific messaging rather than assuming prior brand awareness — especially in Mountain West markets and any metro absorbing a large share of new movers.

Family, affordability, and a fresh start drive the decision to relocate 

Moving is rarely about the house alone. 35% of neighbors moved to be closer to family or friends, the single largest driver, ahead of a fresh start or lifestyle change (28%) and retirement (22%).

• 40% chose their current neighborhood because friends or family live nearby — the top factor, ahead of affordability (36%) and nearby shopping and restaurants (30%).
• 52% chose their new home for size or layout, followed by price (42%) and move-in readiness (39%).
• Safety (30%) and sense of community (22%) round out the top reasons for choosing a neighborhood.

Implication for advertisers: creative built solely around logistics misses most of the emotional weight behind a move. Pair practical value messaging (price, space, move-in readiness) with creative that acknowledges the life change behind it — reuniting with family, a fresh start, retirement — to match why neighbors are actually moving.

Trust beats price when neighbors pick an agent, a home, and a mover

93% of neighbors who bought or sold a home worked with a real estate agent, and local expertise is what won that business.

• 56% said knowledge of the local market was the most important factor in choosing an agent, ahead of communication and responsiveness (39%) and a recommendation from friends or family (32%).
• Zillow (28%) and real estate agents (21%) are the top two sources neighbors credit with finding their home, followed by word of mouth (14%).
• 46% say it would have been very helpful to ask questions of people already living in their new neighborhood before deciding to move — more than any other single fact-finding step besides visiting in person (54%).
• Among the 57% who hired a professional mover, price quote (49%) and online reviews (43%) drove the choice.

Implication for advertisers: local knowledge and social proof outperform price-only pitches. Creative built around resident testimonials, local expertise, and verified reviews will build more confidence with movers than promotional discounting — and directly answers the 46% who wanted a real neighbor's perspective and couldn't get one.

Moving triggers a multi-category spending spree, before and after the move

Moving concentrates purchases into a short window, but that window runs both before and after move-in day. 60% of recent movers sold one home before buying another, and in the 12 months around a move, over half buy new home décor.

• 54% bought home décor, 38% bought a couch, 37% bought lighting, 36% bought a TV, and 34% bought a mattress in the past year.
• Big-ticket purchases cluster tightly around the move: 41% buy kitchen appliances before moving and another 37% within the following month; 38% buy a washer/dryer before moving, 44% within a month after.
• Nearly half of homes neighbors move into require some maintenance — only 51% are completely move-in ready — and 80% expect to bring in a professional for renovations or repairs, led by handymen (31%), pest control (29%), and electricians and landscapers (26% each).
• Renovation spending is up sharply: 33% now plan repairs within a month of moving in, a 27% year-over-year increase.

Implication for advertisers: treat movers as a household, not a single transaction. Retail and CPG creative should map to the purchase sequence — appliances and furniture in the weeks around move-in, then décor and personalization after — while home services should stay active for months past move-in day, when most renovation and repair decisions actually happen

Neighbors show up on Nextdoor within days of a move — and stay active for months

Neighbors don't wait to get plugged into their new community. 66% update their Nextdoor address within a month of moving, and 37% do it within a week.

• Nextdoor is the second most-used platform for discovering new businesses, restaurants, and services after a move (48%), trailing only Google (59%) and ahead of Facebook (34%) and Yelp (17%).
• Posting, commenting, and search activity among movers spikes sharply the week of a move and stays elevated for roughly eight weeks afterward, well above pre-move baseline levels.
• Most movers begin planning early: 49% hire a mover about a month out, and 30% start shopping for moving supplies two to three months ahead.

Implication for advertisers: the highest-intent window for reaching a mover spans from about a month before the move through roughly two months after. Use Nextdoor's verified mover segment to reach neighbors in that window with hyperlocal targeting, before they've settled into fixed routines with a competing brand.

Moving advertising playbook: how to activate on Nextdoor

Bringing it all together, here’s how to turn these insights into action:

1. Engage during the planning phase, not moving day 

Nearly half of movers hire help or begin shopping about a month before the move. Reach neighbors while they're comparing options with planning tools, checklists, and timeline-driven creative — not just at move-in.

2. Lead with local proof over price

With 56% choosing an agent for local market knowledge and 46% wishing they could ask a current resident about their new neighborhood, build creative around verified reviews, resident testimonials, and neighborhood-specific expertise.

3. Prioritize markets absorbing long-distance movers

Long-distance moves have nearly doubled to 35% of all moves, with Mountain West states seeing the strongest net in-migration. Shift regional media weight toward high-inflow markets where movers have no established brand loyalty yet.

4. Sequence creative to the purchase timeline 

Appliance and furniture purchases cluster tightly around move-in (kitchen appliances: 41% before, 37% within a month after), while renovation and décor spending continues for months. Build always-on campaigns that shift message focus from move-in essentials to home improvement over time.

5. Show up in the referral marketplace

With 66% updating their Nextdoor address within a month of moving and mover activity on Nextdoor peaking within weeks, target verified movers with hyperlocal creative while they're actively forming new routines.

Source: Nextdoor Survey, US (07/2026); Nextdoor Internal Data, US (01/2016 - 06/2026)