Katie Smith is not alone when she admits her online addiction. The 30 year old says that, although she is currently renting, she is not looking for a house and has no intention of moving home. However, Katie admits to regularly visiting the Rightmove website to look at houses she has seen for sale. On some days, she might do this several times a day.
Katie isn’t discerning about the affordability of the properties she looks at through her phone. She recently spent time looking at houses in the London Borough of Richmond – one of London’s most expensive areas and significantly above London average house prices.
For those interested in property peeping, property portals including On the Market, Zoopla and Rightmove offer plenty of information about the homes they list, as well as a lot of information about their owners and the way they choose to live in their homes.
Zoopla and Rightmove are proud to report on the huge number properties viewed through their portals. Rightmove says almost 10,000 properties are viewed every minute of the day; Zoopla’s claims almost 2,000 properties a minute. Both websites acknowledge that the people viewing their property listings are not necessarily looking to buy a house.
There are many reasons for looking at property websites. While some are genuinely interested in finding a new home to live in, some are simply nosey neighbours, and others might have an interest in property in general. Indeed, Katie has previously worked in interior design and has a particular interest in character properties. Georgian properties and their features are particularly attractive to her.
Another user, Sam Kennedy Christian, says she looks at property portals to imagine how she would spend a dream lottery win. She lives in Herne Bay, Kent, and looks at local properties as well as those on the Isle of Man, where she has family ties. Zoopla is a particular favourite at bedtime and Sam especially enjoys a floorplan, which she uses to imagine how she might live in a property.
Online property stalking is a great form of escapism for people who just enjoy daydreaming about a different lifestyle, but estate agents complain about the high price of online platform advertising. Rightmove says the monthly costs to the average agent is £1,500. Agents provide and upload the property details, including all the photographs and descriptions, leaving property portals to do nothing more than provide the website. However, having now taken over from traditional property advertising, the online market has a ‘stranglehold’ on the market, leaving agents little choice but to use it.
Happy peeping peeps!