I spoke with Alison of Suburban Jungle to get some first-hand insight on a topic at the top of many city parents’ minds: “Should we move out of the city”. Here’s what she told us:

Suburban Jungle was born from a challenge all-too-common to city parents and parents-to-be. Should we stay or should we go?

On the one hand, you love the city—and love the idea of raising your kids with immediate access to unparalleled arts, culture, activities and, of course, amazing food. But on the other hand, having more space, a car and less of the hustle-and-bustle would be a game-changer—as would not having to hold your breath as you wait for kindergarten placements.

If you’ve been there—or are there—you get it. That was Alison Bernstein’s experience before she started Suburban Jungle.

“We knew we wanted to be in the suburbs but had no idea where to even start looking,” Alison says. “So we made some guesses, talked to people we knew and, looking back, didn’t cast as wide of a net as we should have. But at the same time, there are more than 500 commutable towns outside of New York City—how could we possibly have found the exact right one for us?”

Enter her a-ha moment—and the launch of Suburban Jungle more than a decade ago. Now the company operates in 11 markets including Chicago, San Francisco, Austin and South Florida, with a team of powerhouse moms at the helm in each community.

“I’m proud to say we’re mom-owned and mom-operated,” says Alison. “Our Strategists are all parents—they get it, they’ve been there, they are there—and that gives all of us unique insights into how we can best support families trying to make the most important decision of their lives: where to call home.”

That, she notes, has been especially important during these last few months. With the COVID-19 outbreak, countless city families packed up and left—some temporarily, but many for good. As a result, Suburban Jungle saw its highest demand ever, with summertime requests up 350% year-over-year. With Strategists and agents on the ground, many Suburban Jungle families were able to not just successfully explore suburbia but find a house, close and move, despite the pandemic. “We always say we’re 95% therapy and 5% real estate—lately it’s been more like 99% therapy and 1% real estate!” says Alison. “But our distributed workforce, incredibly dedicated and agile team and existing technological framework really prepared us for this moment. We were able to seamlessly transition to meet the needs of our clients during this pandemic.” The team, she notes, has long helped families moving from out of state and, even, internationally, so Strategists are well-versed in all-virtual searches. What’s more, with the company’s cutting-edge technology and its new AI-powered strategy option, it’s easier and faster than ever to start your suburban search.

Despite the pandemic—and, with it, the increased and ever-changing needs of their clients, Suburban Jungle is still entirely focused on their original mission: to help families decide should we stay or should we go...and if we go, to where? Now as more work goes remote and more families re-evaluate and reprioritize, Alison and her team are seeing a new trend: lifestyle moves. Many, Alison explains, aren’t just leaving the city for the immediate suburbs—they’re leaving the city for San Francisco, Austin, Nashville, South Florida and other areas that have better work/life balance, better weather and a completely different vibe.

“Regardless of where you want to be—even if you don’t know where you want to be—know this: WE GET YOU—and we can help!” 

Alison Bernstein

Alison Bernstein is the President and Founder of Suburban Jungle, a real estate technology platform and consulting firm exclusively focused on buyers leaving the city for the suburbs. When she’s not helping families in their suburban explorations, Alison enjoys traveling, skiing and tennis as well as spending time with her husband and four children…and huge dog.