Have you ever checked out other peoples’ homes online, even if you’re not looking to buy? It’s a surprisingly popular pastime, research shows.
A survey conducted recently by UK multi-listing site Zoopla found that a whopping 59 per cent of Brits admit to checking out how much someone they know has paid for their home.
People are most likely to be curious about what their neighbours, friends and family have forked out for their home. Some (3 per cent) have even looked up the price of their boss’ pad.
Nearly a third said they continued to date someone they wouldn’t have otherwise after viewing their home online, while a quarter admitted to having dumped someone as a result of it.
Interestingly, only 19 per cent of people think it is acceptable to ask someone what they paid for their home. And 65 per cent say they would never admit to the owner that they had looked up the value of their property.
Why do people enjoy viewing property listings, when not in the market themselves?
The main reason one in four people wanted to know the value of someone else’s home was to get a better idea of what their own property was worth. One in eight were feeling nostalgic and wanted to ‘revisit’ an old home.
Some were contemplating renovations and curious to see what other homeowners were doing, while others wanted inspiration for interior design.
Just under one in ten of those looking at house prices were curious to gauge the market and see if it was a good time to sell their own home.