Renters will move in droves in 2010, a national survey says

With the economy still in the doldrums and unemployment numbers raising eyebrows and blood pressure, you'd think most people would want to stay put. Relocation costs, after all, are nothing to sneeze at.

But according to a recent Apartments.com national survey, an astonishing 96.1% of renters plans to move in 2010. And many of the respondents -- about one-third of them -- plan to do so in the first quarter of the year, not April through August, when renters typically pull up stakes.

Why bother?

"The majority of renters we surveyed," said Apartment.com's Tammy Kotula, "are looking for better bargains, better commutes and they want to live closer to family." Lifestyle issues, she says, are the leading reasons for wanting to relocate.