Around 7.2 million Britons browse property portals at least once a week despite having no intention of buying or selling, according to Dan Simson, Head of Direct Line Home Insurance.
Curiosity and daydreaming keep millions glued to property sites.”
He told Thisismoney: “Curiosity and daydreaming keep millions glued to property sites.”
His firm’s research, which is based on a survey of 2,000 people, shows roughly 60% (more than 30 million adults) “cannot resist” searching for homes on property websites and are “binge-browsing” listings for “no good reason”. 22% say they do it at least once a week.
daydreaming
Their motivations range from outright nosiness to aspirational daydreaming. More than a third (37%) admit they scroll through listings and fantasise about their dream home, while 36% say they regularly browse properties in their dream location. Another 27% spend their time looking at luxury homes.
Meanwhile, 35% admit to tracking down neighbours’ homes online, with many unable to resist snooping on people living next door, or close by. Twenty-eight per cent say they use property websites to check the price of someone else’s property, while 26% browse listings in a bid to estimate the value of their own home.
Design inspiration
For others, portals are just a handy source of inspiration. Some 19% say they browse for interior design, and 12% for extension and property layout ideas.
Only around 40% are using portals with anything like serious intent. As well as looking to move home, many are just keeping tabs on the local property market, scoping out potential areas to live in the future, estimating the value of their own home, or checking someone else’s.
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