20% of house hunters ‘spend under 20 minutes looking around before making offer’

One in five (20%) home buyers spend less than 20 minutes viewing a home before deciding to make an offer, a survey indicates.

Based on the average price tag of £265,600, this equates to a £13,280 per minute decision for these buyers, Zoopla said.

The research among 2,000 people who have attended property viewings in the past five years found that just half of prospective home buyers check the boiler and a quarter (25%) check the water pressure, while 24% check the broadband and 23% look in the loft.

Some cosmetic features can draw just as much, if not more attention than home essentials, the research indicates.

A quarter of people admit to looking at pictures of the family that live there, while a similar proportion (24%) check out their home tech.

Buying a home is the most expensive purchase most of us will ever make. So, it’s crucial to make every effort to inspect all elements, in order to save yourself time and money further down the line

Nearly two-fifths (37%) admire their furniture and one in seven (14%) go as far as to peek into drawers and cabinets. One in eight (13%) test how comfortable the owner’s bed and sofa are, according to the survey, carried out by Mortar Research in June.

Zoopla has also been trialling eye-tracking technology to indicate where house hunters focus their attention during a viewing.

The experiment involved five people wearing eye-tracking glasses during house viewings.

Zoopla said that people spent just 34 seconds typically viewing a bedroom, and just over a minute in the kitchen.

The property website also said the research indicated that people’s attention was captured by items that would no longer be there if they moved in, such as ornaments, furnishings and decorations. Mirrors, plants and pictures were particularly popular.

Some participants were distracted by feature walls, returning their gaze up to 19 times in various rooms.

Despite being an important feature of a house, research participants did not tend to look at radiators for more than half a second in any room.

The home’s structure including flooring and ceilings generated 38% of the share of attention, with cosmetics and furnishings earning 54% and fixtures receiving 8%, according to the research.

Daniel Copley, consumer expert at Zoopla, said: “For agents, the experiment provides insights for them on what their clients are really looking at when viewing a property.

“Buying a home is the most expensive purchase most of us will ever make. So, it’s crucial to make every effort to inspect all elements, in order to save yourself time and money further down the line.”

Lily Mace, senior sales consultant at Coopers Residential, said: “We are always looking for ways to help buyers and sellers get the most out of their experience, so it’s been fantastic to work with Zoopla on this experiment.”