Real Estate Porn Is Real: Most Zillow Visitors Are Fantasizing or Snooping

pcmag.com:

People who get their thrills by shopping for a house—even when they're not planning to buy one—need a source for their addiction. Nothing makes that easier than real-estate websites. There are many, but the big name is Zillow, a site that claims it had 9 billion visits in 2020. But only a fraction of those visitors really wanted to make a purchase.

Omnis surveyed 1,446 Americans over the age of 18 who claimed they'd visited Zillow, and the results show that so-called "Zillow surfing" provides good digital escapism (and let's face it, given the current market, it'll likely remain so). Three-quarters of those surveyed were visiting Zillow and its ilk, but only 17% of them said they had any intention of buying. (Even in real life, 45% have taken an in-person house tour without any plans to buy.)

This isn't an occasional escape for many—44% of survey respondents spent time on Zillow weekly, with another 12% saying it's a daily habit. The average amount of time spent is 2 hours, and 17% spend even more time than that. Sixty percent of respondents like to Zillow-surf in bed as they go to sleep. But it's keeping more than half up late as they get sucked down the rabbit hole of virtual tours and Z-Estimate prices.

Weirdly, 8% said they Zillow-surf in the car—hopefully, as passengers. Naturally, a lot of people also do it at work (61%), and 23% admitted they'd been caught looking at real estate listings by their managers.

Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents said they've spent more time with Zillow because of the pandemic; the same number said it's been therapeutic to do so. This therapy could also be destroying their relationships, though, as 28% say they have ignored a partner while on Zillow, and 26% have turned down