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‘Property Porn’: New trend unveils almost a THIRD of Brits have no intention of buying or selling when cruising the web for properties
Online estate agents, Tepilo reveal a huge change in the triggers when buying or renting a home with ‘property porn’ dwellers, with most admitting it stems from ‘nosiness’ or simply to ‘see how the other half live’
Last month, Tepilo revealed a huge surge in people ‘escaping reality’ by accessing their tablets and smartphones to search for properties online, especially in the New Year. However they have today revealed from a nationwide survey of 1,000 respondents that 67% of Brits are partaking in ‘property porn’, seeing consumers utilising online estate agencies to fulfil their needs; including 42% of females and 33% of males admitting they do it to ‘be nosy’ and wanting to see how ‘the other half live’, as well as 35% of Brits ‘fantasising’ about what they could have and even students admitting doing it for ‘encouragement’ to work harder.
Another surprising find was seeing a quarter of the nation’s men like to search for properties online to give them a push to buy or sell.
Co-founder of Tepilo, Sarah Beeny commented:
“When we took to the public to ask why they did it, the results were quite surprising. “I love the fact students are getting inspiration to work harder by viewing properties online – it brought a big smile to my face. The ‘nosy’ outcome was great – because come on, we’ve ALL been there!
We’ve noticed that many buyers aren’t really looking to move, but they have a quick browse and fall in love with a home – and end up buying it. So it’s good to know with Tepilo being so accessible people will use the inspiration and nosiness to good use; finally pull their finger out and do something about it!
It used to be such a hassle selling or buying a house, but you can now do it so easily and for as little as £600. Hopefully this will make it less daunting to the ‘Property Porn’ clan and we’ll start seeing more people fulfilling their wants and wishes.”
Other popular answers saw 40% of the nation wanting to see other people’s houses in the area, adding a competition element to the ‘property porn’ trend. In a surprisingly honest twist, almost 20% of the respondents admitted to searching for properties to ‘steal interior ideas’, and echoing the famous ‘Purple House’, a percentage of the females utilised online estate agents to search for ‘funny & quirky’ houses.
When asked on Twitter “Does anyone NOT buying a house ever search for properties online for fun/curiosity? If so, why?” the replies came in thick and fast from a large mix of people:
@xGogsx replied with ‘I bought a house last month but I still look up properties. “Here’s what you could’ve won” kinda thing.’, where as @alicej_t said ‘Oh god all the time. Property porn. I have no idea why… To fantasise?.
Other interesting replies came from students or young professionals looking forward to buying, such as @lindsaaaay_x; ‘Because I’m nosy and to give me an idea of how much I need to save up when I am ready to buy.’ Ex-student @EmilyApps also said ‘Far too often! It was for encouragement when I was at uni, something had to get me through the dissertation blues.’
Sarah continued:
“So now we know all of this, how can you best capitalise on this major change? If you are looking to sell, make sure your property stands out in the pictures – as this is what will grab buyer’s eyes. Tidy up, freshen up your paintwork and clear the clutter so your home looks inviting.
And however tempting it is to set your sights high, please remember to price your home attractively. It’s much better to be the best home in a lower price band and have buyers fighting over you, than be a mediocre one at a higher price with no one coming to view! Happy hunting.”
What is Tepilo?
A modern estate agent – offering all the services a traditional estate agent does, but online. Our aim is to give you more control over the way you sell or rent your home, saving you a huge amount of money in the process.
Sarah also gave some advice to The Consumer Voice readers, she said,
