Weather Derails U.S. Holiday Travel Record
Costa Mesa’s Sunday was officially called “Sofa Sunday”—possibly in recognition of its service as a welcome interlude between Black Friday sales, Small Business Saturday sales, and Cyber Monday sales. Football games on TV also drove many Thanksgiving celebrants to the sofas, where early pregame news flashes projected Sunday as “the busiest travel day” in history. By midday, it turned out that local viewers would have started to doubt those predictions.
The obstacle was the California storms that had been drenching the West Coast. By Sunday, they were well on their way East, shredding Midwest and East Coast airline travel schedules. For the majority of Costa Mesa travelers who’d avoided the airports, holiday highway traffic at least gave them a shot at returning home on schedule.
The whole experience (including the blanket news coverage) did put travel convenience top-of-mind, even for Thanksgiving celebrants who remained homebound. When it comes to Costa Mesa real estate, a property’s connection with transportation convenience is most often given minor prominence. For one reason, Costa Mesa’s airport proximity is a given—there would be little sales advantage to noting it. On the other hand, some Costa Mesa properties may shave travel minutes by ready access to major auto arteries—that can be an attractive convenience factor for breadwinners whose routine includes daily commutes.
Usually in urban contexts, mention is also cited for the impact that proximity to public transportation can have. A recent collaboration by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and the American Public Transportation Association found a measurable sales price advantage for properties with good access to public transportation. In any case, this weekend, for Thanksgiving travelers stranded in airports or waiting for stalled bus or train connections, the wisdom behind the phrase “should allow themselves extra travel time” had seldom been more fitting.
If your December will include Costa Mesa real estate endeavors, it’s noteworthy that end-of-year closings do frequently take place. Give us a call!
