Whether you’re in the market to buy a new home or just an avid house hunting daydreamer, “Zillow surfing” has become a pandemic pastime as Americans flock to the real estate listing website to find their dream home as well as to seek out luxurious, weird and unique listings. In order to learn more about this emerging real estate trend, Omnis Panels surveyed nearly 1,500 Americans to ask about their Zillow surfing habits. They found that 83% of Zillow users say they’ve searched for homes without any intention of buying. 45% have taken an in-person tour without any intention of home buying. 44% of users say they surf Zillow on a weekly basis spending an average of 2 hours per session. 62% have lost track of time while Zillow surfing and 54% admit to staying up too late while Zillow surfing.
One of the more interesting takeaways from the survey found that users admit to snooping on neighbors, friends, and co-workers through Zillow. 62% have looked up a neighbor’s home to see what the inside looks like, 62% have looked up a friend’s house to see the purchase price and 39% have snooped on their boss or manager’s home via Zillow. Zillow users also admit to ignoring their partner and family with 26% admitting to ignoring their partner while Zillow surfing. Zillow users also admit to surfing during work hours with 23% admitting to being caught by their boss or manager.