House hunters switch to evening searches as smartphones dominate online surfing

Rightmove has revealed that the busiest time for home searches on its website is between 8pm and 9pm as the nation settles down on their couches to ‘double screen’ between their favourite TV shows and the Rightmove app. The data points to rapidly-shifting habits among house hunters as smartphones become the key way people access information online. Only a couple of years ago laptops still held sway and therefore lunchtimes at work were the peak house hunting period. Now, activity peaks at 8.48pm on Wednesdays, presumably as people begin to lose interest in Holby City or Supermarket Sweep and concentrate on homes for sale and rent. The portal has also reminded agents that December is the quietest month of the year but that negotiators should gird their loins for the post-Christmas day rush when traffic increases by 231% between Christmas Day and January 2nd, or at least did last year. During last year’s festivities, December 30th was the busiest day that month as memories of turkey and presents faded became a dim memory. “We know just how obsessed the nation is with property, but to see such precise consistency in terms of browsing times is really quite remarkable,” says Rightmove…