OkCupid and Opendoor break down post-breakup behaviors

76% of daters say having to sell a place after a breakup is more stressful than a cancelled flight

Every March there’s a spike in divorces and breakups, leading newly-single homeowners to sell their homes quickly and download dating apps.

So this year, OkCupid is partnering with Opendoor, the fastest and easiest way to sell your home, to help these new singles out — because they’re busy enough with their dating lives! In March 2023, there was a 7.4% increase in Likes and 8.5% increase in Matches on OkCupid compared to the previous month, and we’re seeing similar trends this year. People are dating a lot on the heels of breakup season.

To better understand post-breakup behaviors, OkCupid in collaboration with Opendoor added new matching questions to the app, which garnered more than 65 thousand responses.

What happens after the dreaded breakup talk? The even worse “move out” conversation. On OkCupid, 86% of singles said they would move out after breaking up with a partner. Further, 55% of OkCupid daters would want to move out ASAP after a breakup, and 18% would leave within a week (14% could wait as long as a month; just 13% would not rush to move).

Most singles on OkCupid (80%) said they would rather move back in with their parents or couch surf (75%) than live under the same roof as their ex.

A majority of singles (76%) on OkCupid say having to sell their place after a break-up is more stressful than a canceled flight. Contrast that to homeowners that sell directly to Opendoor and can close an average of 3x faster than a traditional sale. That speed can mean less time on the pain of decoupling and more time moving on.

Finding your way out of a co-living situation and/or homeownership can add a whole new layer of stress to an already complex process — let alone managing a rollercoaster of emotions and some tough conversations. Michael Kaye, OkCupid’s Director of Brand Marketing and Communications, has some survival tips for the newly-single:

• Take a moment. Have clear expectations about if you want to be the one to move out or stay in your shared space, and fairly divide up your belongings accordingly. Remember, there’s two people impacted by this breakup, and being fair will help move the process forward more quickly.
• Ask for help! Lean on your family or friends for support during this time. No one should have to go through a breakup on their own. Ask your ex to leave for a night, invite your friends over, order in and start packing. A new chapter can be exciting!
• Keep yourself busy. Moving out of a place with an ex, or having an ex move out, is a big change. Be kind to yourself, and be patient with your emotions.

For singles who are navigating post break-up life and thinking about their next move, platonic co-buying might be a route to consider. According to Opendoor’s 2024 First-Time Homebuyer Report, 77% first-time home shoppers bought their home with a non-romantic partner.

And when it comes time to rethink that living situation with a new match, co-buying with romantic partners remains a reliable route for first-time home shoppers: 61% of Opendoor’s survey respondents bought with a spouse or partner in 2023.

Whether you’re looking to sell your home and move out — and on — with minimal disruption to your life, or you’re ready to meet your next match, OkCupid and Opendoor have your back.

Media contact: MichaelK@OkCupid.com

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Opendoor’s 2024 First-Time Homebuyer Report: Methodology

The First-Time Homebuyer Report was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative first-time US Homebuyers using an email invitation and an online survey. “Homebuyers” are defined as those who purchased their first home in the past 12 months, between January 2023 and December 2023. Data has been weighted to facilitate tracking.