Last year Saturday Night Live did a sketch poking fun at how much pleasure people get from browsing Zillow. Have you seen it? Check it out here. It’s a good laugh that has racked up millions of views, but it also turns out that it hits a bit close to home. Online home browsing has become a BIG hobby and that only increased with the pandemic. It has become the new version of window shopping regardless of if you are in the market for a new house. People browse to daydream, relax, keep boredom at bay, and even be nosy about friends and coworkers.
A recent survey by Surety First, a California-based insurance agency, shows just how obsessed America is with online house hunting (spoiler alert: we are really, REALLY obsessed with browsing Zillow). Here are some of the interesting takeaways:
- 55% of respondents admit to spending between one to four hours a day on Zillow
- 33% of people surveyed receive three to five Zillow house alerts a day
- 39% of those with three to five alerts set up have the alerts set up for houses they don’t intend to rent or buy
- 58% of respondents have missed an important deadline because they were browsing Zillow
- 56% have canceled plans with a friend to browse Zillow instead
- 57% of people have been late to an appointment or event because they were online house hunting
- 62% have looked up the estimated value of a neighbor’s house
- 53% have looked up their boss’s house on Zillow
- 62% of respondents browse houses that are at least over $100,000 more than their current home
- 64% have contacted a real estate agent about a home they can’t afford
- 51% of people continued to browse Zillow even after they just signed contracts to purchase a home
- 80% of respondents fantasize about a house they saw on Zillow at least once a week
So, if you too love to online shop for houses, you are in good company. Keep browsing, friends! Plus, you can, of course, always contact the GW Real Estate team for any of your real estate questions or needs.
