Cape Cod Commission Issues New Homeowner Survey 

Data collected to further understand pandemic-driven population changes 

As the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping the way people are living and working, it is having profound effects on Cape Cod’s real estate market.  

Cape Cod was a popular place to move during the pandemic. As noted in a May 2020 Cape Cod Times article, Barnstable County saw the fourth-largest change in population in the nation from 2019 to 2020. 

To further understand the changes in population on Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Commission is collaborating with the UMass Donahue Institute and the Center for Public Opinion at UMass Lowell on a 2021 Cape Cod New Homeowner Survey.  

The survey was designed to better understand homeowners' decisions to purchase a home on the Cape in the past year, as well as near- and long-term plans for the use of their newly purchased home. People who purchased a home on Cape Cod between April 2020 and May 2021 may receive a mailing requesting their response to the survey. 

The survey builds off of the Commission's past survey efforts for Cape Cod Second Homeowners. The Cape Cod Commission periodically surveys the second homeowner population on Cape Cod to understand how second homes are used, how they might be used in the future, and how second homeowners contribute to the local economy. Data collected informs regional planning efforts, including land-use, housing, and economic development.  

Information on the New Homeowner Survey is available at: https://capecodcommission.org/our-work/new-homeowner-survey