As many ease back into the rhythm of office life, the all-important question resurfaces: How far is too far from work?
Zillow® has the answer with its brand-new commute time filter, a feature on the Zillow app designed to help you find a home or a rental within your desired commute time or near the places that matter most to you.
This feature isn’t just for work commutes. Want to be 10 minutes from a family member, 15 minutes from the library or close to your favorite yoga studio? The commute time filter has you covered, making it easy to find a place that fits your lifestyle.
How does it work?
With the commute time filter, we’ve streamlined the search, making the process more intuitive and user-friendly.
Using the Zillow app on your phone, you can easily enter your preferred commute duration — whether it’s 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes — and select your mode of transportation. Whether you prefer to travel by foot, bike, public transit or car, as well as whether you’re considering rush hour or off-peak times, the filter will display homes within your specified commute range.
A top priority for home shoppers: How commute preferences stack up
According to Zillow’s Consumer Housing Trends Survey, more than half of home buyers (53%) consider commute time a top priority. After all, who wants to spend hours stuck in traffic when they could be relaxing at home or enjoying time with loved ones?
| Share of buyers that consider each neighborhood characteristic very or extremely important | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023 |
| In a walkable neighborhood | 58% | 60% | 66% | 64% | 67% |
| Close to shopping, services and/or leisure activities | 54% | 53% | 58% | 56% | 60% |
| Close to family and/or friends | 47% | 46% | 50% | 50% | 57% |
| Offers a sense of community or belonging | 47% | 48% | 51% | 54% | 56% |
| My commute to work or school | 54% | 48% | 53% | 51% | 53% |
| Close to public transportation | 30% | 48% | 36% | 36% | 43% |
Beyond driving: Walkability — also available on the commute time filter — ranks high among important neighborhood traits
About two-thirds of buyers (67%) say having a home in a walkable neighborhood is very or extremely important. Proximity to shopping, services and/or leisure activities follows at 60%.
Despite being the lowest among the characteristics we ask about, the high importance of proximity to public transportation has seen the largest increase, growing 13 points from 30% in 2018 to 43% in 2023.
Most of the other characteristics have seen an increase in importance since 2018 as well, including proximity to friends and family (up 10 percentage points), neighborhood walkability (up 9 points), a sense of community or belonging (up 9 points), and proximity to shopping, services and/or leisure activities (up 6 points).
And as for preferences among employed home buyers, commute preferences vary:
The commute time filter on the Zillow app makes it easier than ever to find homes or rentals near the places that matter most to you, saving you time and effort both in your search and in your daily commute.
At Zillow, we aim to empower our customers with information that helps them make the best decisions. By making the search process more convenient and less time-consuming, we help you focus on what really matters: finding a place that feels like home.
Whatever your ideal commute time or location might be, Zillow’s commute time filter is designed to help you find a home nearby.