65% of online home hunters have no intention of transacting, claims lettings agency

Research for online agency Mashroom suggests viewing 'property porn' is getting out of hand among the public as it launches ad campaign.

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Estate agents who suspect that a large proportion of online house hunters are tyre kickers and property porn addicts have been proved right by research into property portal habits.

Online lettings agency Mashroom, which also owns the eMoov brand, says that just over half of all Brits have admitted to using property portals as a form of entertainment.

Among those canvassed by OnePoll, 65% said they regularly browse with no intention of buying or renting, 16% said they considered their habit to be an addition while a third said they kept their digital house viewing habits hidden from their partner.

Worryingly for the portals, who often claim huge traffic for their sites as proof of success, a third of Brits say they consider looking at homes to be their hobby while a third said their habit was kicked off by watching Channel 4 programme Location, Location, Location starring Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer.

Mashroom has launched an ad campaign that build on this ‘property porn’ theme and is meant to ape the M&S food ads, making a series of puns that might have even the Carry On script writers groaning.

This includes (in reference to ‘hot’ Aga cookers): ‘You wouldn’t stay wet for long with that in the kitchen’ and ‘lovely knob’.

Stepan Dobrovolskiy, CEO of Mashroom, says: “Long gone are the days of having to stand at estate agent windows or looking at the property sections of newspapers and magazines.

“Tenants can scan homes at the touch of button at a time which suits them and who are we to judge when and where that perfect time is.”


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