The HQ2 search drags on though reports have placed Amazon reps at second visits in Chicago (back in August) and Miami (just last month)
There hasn’t been any official whittling down of the company’s list of finalists, and it seems all 20 cities are still in the running.
Whichever city is chosen will, no doubt, experience huge changes — both from an economic standpoint and a logistical one. But according to data from real estate brokerage Owners.com, the impact on local home prices will vary — from a mere blip on the radar in major cities to an affordability-shattering 33.8% jump in smaller ones.
HQ2 is more likely to impact housing in one of the smaller-size candidates, like Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Nashville or Raleigh, according the Owner’s.com report. Larger cities, like New York and Los Angeles, for example, “are better able to absorb the influx of employees, from a housing perspective.”
Raleigh is most likely to see the biggest jump in home prices, with an estimated 17.7% to 33.8% uptick if HQ2 lands in the city. The smallest increase would likely occur in New York.
Here’s what estimated home price increases look like for each of the 20 HQ2 finalists:
- Atlanta: Best case: +3.8% / Worst case: +6.9%
- Austin: Best case: +8.5% / Worst case: +16.1%
- Boston: Best case: +3.9% / Worst case: +7.4%
- Chicago: Best case: +2% / Worst case: +3.7%
- Columbus: Best case: +9.9% / Worst case: +18.5%
- Dallas: Best case: +2.7% / Worst case: +5%
- Denver: Best case: +5.8% / Worst case: +10.9%
- Indianapolis: Best case: +10.9% / Worst case: 20.2%
- Los Angeles: Best case: +1.6% / Worst case: +2.9%
- Miami: Best case: +4.8% / Worst case: +8.7%
- Nashville: Best case: +11.1% / Worst case: +20.9%
- New York: Best case: +0.9% / Worst case: +1.6%
- Philadelphia: Best case: +3.1% / Worst case: +5.7%
- Pittsburgh: Best case: +10% / Worst case: +18.4%
- Raleigh: Best case: +17.7% / Worst case: +33.8%
- Toronto: Best case: +1.4% / Worst case: +1.8%
- Washington, D.C.: Best case: +1.8% / Worst case: +3.5%
**New York and Newark, as well as Montgomery County, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C., were combined into a single location due to proximity.**
Source: Forbes
