'Rightmove is my porn' - the addiction to online property search

Katie Smith has had an addiction for arsenic agelong arsenic she tin remember. Something she feels compelled to dozens of times a day.

The 30-year-old finds herself repeatedly opening the Rightmove app, contempt the information she has nary volition of moving location anytime soon.

"Rightmove is my porn," laughs Katie, from Stone, Staffordshire. "It's similar being a modern time peeping Tom," she says, referring to the fig of homes she looks inside, each from the comfortableness of her smartphone.

Last week, aft a time travel to Knutsford, Cheshire, she spent the evening looking astatine each the houses for merchantability determination - careless of price. And during a caller play successful London, she loved looking astatine "how costly houses successful Richmond are", which was adjacent to her hotel.

Property portals similar Rightmove, Zoopla and On the Market are goldmines of idiosyncratic information astir some homebuyers and sellers.

Zoopla told the BBC that 1,860 properties are viewed each infinitesimal connected its website and app, portion the fig is adjacent higher for Rightmove – astir 10,000 properties viewed per minute.

Rightmove precocious rejected a 4th takeover bid by Rupert Murdoch’s REA Group, saying the latest £6.2bn connection undervalued the company and its aboriginal prospects, showing conscionable however invaluable the information it holds is.

The websites themselves admit that not each their users whitethorn really beryllium looking to determination home, truthful what is it that keeps radical scrolling?

Katie, who antecedently worked successful interior design, says she loves to cheque however rapidly properties mightiness merchantability and has a database of favourite homes she has looked at.

"I emotion quality properties, things with features similar beauteous Georgian homes," she says.

While she and her spouse are readying to determination retired of her rented accommodation successful astir six months, determination is nary contiguous oregon urgent request to search.

"He thinks I americium looking astatine much houses due to the fact that of this, but it's not - it's conscionable due to the fact that I emotion it!”

Sam Kennedy Christian, who lives successful Herne Bay successful Kent with her hubby and 2 children, uses Zoopla to look astatine her imagination purchases.

"I emotion imagining what I'd get if we won the lottery... specifically successful the Isle of Man wherever I grew up and my household inactive live," she says.

They moved person to the seaside during the pandemic arsenic galore radical looked for much outdoor space.

Sam says she enjoys refreshing the Zoopla app arsenic portion of her "bedtime scrolling" routine, oregon portion waiting for the babe to driblet disconnected to sleep.

She besides keeps an oculus connected akin properties successful the section market, though they are not intending to merchantability anytime soon.

"I particularly emotion a floorplan - you tin get a existent grip connected a house, and however you mightiness usage the space."

When we browse spot websites, we’re engaging successful “a signifier of escapism that taps into the brain’s reward systems," says Louisa Dunbar, the laminitis of OrangeGrove, a probe bureau that uses behavioural subject to amended concern websites.

"Visualising ourselves successful these desirable homes triggers the dopamine system, giving america a consciousness of pleasure, adjacent if we’re not readying to buy. It’s a accidental to mentally measurement into a amended life.”

She says that definite features of spot portals tin play a large relation connected what we mightiness click on.

High-quality photos whitethorn promote viewers to representation themselves surviving successful a property, portion the usage of badging listings with presumption similar "Highlight" oregon "Just added" fuels the fearfulness of missing out.

These intelligence triggers tin support america engaged arsenic we chemoreceptor astir the neighbour's surviving room, oregon ideate a amended future, she says.

Users whitethorn emotion these spot sites, but are they worthy it to property agents, fixed astir online viewings volition not crook into existent enquiries?

Some agents person expressed unease astatine the precocious outgo to advertise, peculiarly connected Rightmove arsenic the marketplace leader. They accidental they supply each the photos and listings accusation astir the houses for merchantability and are past having to wage to bash it. It means these precocious costs tin bounds their quality to advertise successful section newspapers oregon different places.

One property agent, who did not privation to beryllium named, told the BBC: “Right now, it’s a lawsuit of not being capable to unrecorded without the likes of Rightmove. The prices [for property agents] are going up faster than I’d similar and I interest astir the stranglehold they person connected the market.

“But, adjacent if galore users are conscionable idly browsing without immoderate existent volition of moving, it is inactive worthy it to person properties connected there.”

Rightmove responded, saying it has "a assortment of antithetic packages to suit businesses of antithetic sizes and needs and the mean [agent] spends £1,497 per month".

Both Rightmove and Zoopla are bullish astir the future, saying that assurance successful the marketplace is recovering arsenic owe rates fall. On Thursday, Zoopla said the fig of homes for merchantability connected its level is growing.

And for present they look to beryllium attracting everyone whether you're an idle browser conscionable nosing around, fantasising possibly astir castles you tin ne'er afford, a homeowner checking connected however the worth of your location compares with your neighbours’, oregon adjacent an existent genuine buyer.

Additional reporting by Chris Newlands