With the economy top-of-mind in 2008, those in Connecticut looking for second homes online leaned toward lifestyle communities in the Southeast most often, and some looked to neighboring states for their ideal retirement and lifestyle destinations, according to PrivateCommunities.com.

Connecticut real estate consumers requested information from North Carolina developers most often (34%) in 2008, followed by requests to community developers in Florida (18%) and South Carolina (16%). These three powerhouse second home states accounted for a combined 68 percent (68%) of all Connecticut information requests. Year-end data has been collected and analyzed since 1996 by PrivateCommunities.com, a Web research portal that tracks second home shopping habits and serves as an affluent consumer resource.

"The idea of living in the Southeast continues to be a driver for the affluent in Connecticut," said Elisabeth Miller-Fox, co-founder of PrivateCommunities.com. "These destinations are perennial favorites, but we also tracked quite a few requests to developers nearer Connecticut. Maybe it was a reaction to spikes in oil prices and airfares last year, but there was significant interest in having a second home closer to home."

Miller-Fox noted that developers in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states had a smaller share of information requests, but states like Virginia (6%), Delaware (5%), Maryland (2%) and New Hampshire (2%) were statistically significant. Requests to developers in Western states were rare, with Texas the most significant at just two percent (2%). The report is based on people in Connecticut who made Web site information requests while visiting PrivateCommunities.com from January through December 2008, and was tabulated as part of the portal's proprietary tracking process.

Established in 1996, PrivateCommunities.com is a comprehensive research and information site for affluent consumers seeking primary, retirement or second homes in Destination Amenity Communities. The listings include profiles of private, semi-private and resort golf clubs in more than 30 states and international destinations in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean. Communities listed offer a variety of amenities like golf, boating, tennis, equestrian with properties from $100,000 to $10 million.