New research from Zoopla has revealed that 59% of us admit to finding out what friends, family, colleagues and even potential lovers paid for their home. However, it seems that we don't really want to get caught snooping, as 65% of us would never admit to the owner that we’d researched their home’s value.
Zoopla found that although 19% believe it is ok to simply ask someone what they paid for their home, curious Brits are most likely to take the initiative themselves and look up the sale price or value of the home of a neighbour (36%), a friend (34%) or a family member (29%). But 11% went one step further and looked up how much a colleague paid for their home, and 3% have even checked out the price of their boss’s pad. 28% say they made presumptions about a colleague’s salary after seeing how much their home was worth.
Brits appear to know the practice is a little sneaky; just 20% say they have ever asked anyone in person what they paid for their home. Indeed, 37% believe asking someone what their home is worth is ‘rude’, whilst 28% say it is ‘awkward’.
Rise of the free-hold digger?
The research also uncovered surprising findings regarding how many people appear to vet potential partners by checking out their homes online first. 8% say they have checked out the value of the home of a partner, ex-partner or someone they were dating.
And this had a surprisingly strong impact on how the relationships developed, with 32% saying they have continued to date someone they wouldn’t have otherwise after viewing their home online, with the figure rising to 46% for those aged 35-44.
A further 50% say it ‘encouraged’ them to keep seeing someone – rising to 63% for men. Meanwhile, 24% say they have stopped seeing someone after seeing the value of their home – again rising to 30% for men.
A jealous streak
Romance-aside, the research found that seeing how much someone’s house is worth can have an impact on how they feel about them. 11% admit to feeling jealous after looking up the value of someone’s property, 10% say they respected someone more, and 9% even said they liked someone more after looking up their home online.
However, value isn’t the only reason Brits pry on other people’s homes online. Nearly a quarter (23%) say it is to get a better idea of what their own home is worth, whilst 18% are simply curious to see what someone’s home looks like on the inside.
Tom Parker, Consumer Spokesperson at Zoopla, comments: “We’ve long been known as a property obsessed nation and our latest research highlights just how interested many Brits are in finding out the value of their neighbours’, friends’ and even bosses’ homes. Agents have a key role to play in educating consumers on the accurate value of a property and ensuring they’re not simply comparing their property to others, but also considering how more hidden factors like EPC ratings, property layout and internal renovations can impact the value of a home.”
