Location, location, location — and broadband

In less than a decade, broadband has gone from a luxury to a must for many people, and for some of them, it's started to influence their real-estate decisions. Homes that have broadband are winning out over more remote ones that don't. Areas with better and faster broadband are becoming more desirable than ones with slower access. There are several intersecting trends at play. One is that our reliance on broadband is increasing. About 55 percent of Americans have broadband at home, according to a recent survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project — although more people have service available to them and don't buy it. But the spread of broadband is slowing down. Getting the last 10 percent or so of homes connected is an expensive proposition, because they're in small communities or far from other homes. Over time, the lack of universal broadband, along with higher gasoline prices, could pull people from the countryside toward cities and suburbs.