Personal safety is the number-one must-have on homebuyers’ checklists, though 22% say they’re willing to compromise on it for affordability. The next-most important priorities are a low crime rate and low risk of natural disasters.
Roughly one in five (22%) homebuyers are willing to compromise personal safety to afford a home, according to a recent Redfin survey.
Still, personal safety is the top non-negotiable for homebuyers, with 78% calling it a “must have.” It’s followed by two other safety-related location features: a low rate of crime, which 74% consider a must-have, and a low risk of natural disaster, which 68% have on their list of non-negotiables. Next is access to grocery stores, which two-thirds of homebuyers are unwilling to compromise on.
The survey results in this report are from a Redfin-commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos in May 2025, fielded to more than 4,000 U.S. homeowners and renters. This report focuses on the 1,224 respondents who are planning to buy a home within the next 12 months. The results for this group of survey respondents have a credibility interval of +/- 3.4 percentage points. The survey asked respondents the following question: When thinking about the next home you live in, which of the following do you consider a must-have feature versus a feature you’d be willing to trade off to afford a home? Respondents were asked separately about 18 features; for each one, they could choose “must have” or “willing to compromise to afford a home.”
We asked prospective homebuyers about non-negotiables versus negotiables because it’s difficult to afford a home in today’s housing market. The median U.S. home-sale price has increased more than 40% since before the pandemic, and mortgage rates are roughly double pre-pandemic and early-pandemic days. A recent Redfin analysis found that homebuyers must earn $112,000 to afford the median-priced U.S. home, roughly $25,000 more than the typical U.S. household earns. While affordability has started improving in some major metros, buying a home is still a reach for many Americans.
“Prices are starting to come down, but buyers–especially first-timers–are still battling with affordability,” said Katie Shook, a Redfin Premier agent in Phoenix. “Buyers want a home that fits their practical needs: They’re looking for a bedroom for every kid, space to work from home or an easy commute, things like that. Some more luxurious features, like a fully finished backyard with a pool or a recently renovated kitchen, aren’t as valuable to buyers as they used to be. People might want those things, but they aren’t willing to–or can’t–pay more for them.”
It’s worth noting that in many parts of the country, the housing market has shifted firmly in buyers’ favor. Buyers may be able to negotiate down the sale price, or get concessions like a mortgage-rate buydown or closing costs, from a seller that could help them afford some nice-to-have features in addition to must-have features. “Sellers know it’s taking longer to sell and that they can’t expect multiple offers like they would have gotten a few years ago,” Shook said. “Today, the definition of a win is selling. So for buyers who see a home they really want, it’s worth a try to negotiate with the seller.”
For House Hunters With Kids, Highly Rated Schools Are Important–But Not As Important As Space
With the school year coming up, we also looked at survey respondents with kids, and whether they’re willing to compromise living near highly rated schools.
Two in five (41%) of the respondents with children living at home say they’re willing to compromise on highly rated schools to afford a house, while 59% consider highly rated schools a must-have.
All in all, highly rated schools fall smack in the middle in terms of must-haves for people with kids. Survey respondents with children living at home were more likely to rate features of the home itself–including the number of bedrooms,, indoor space and outdoor space–as must-haves than highly rated schools. They were less likely to say commute time, proximity to restaurants, and several neighborhood characteristics are must-haves.
