Zoopla trials cutting-edge eye-tracking tech to reveal what homebuyers really look at during a viewing

Despite being one of life’s biggest financial decisions, a fifth of UK homebuyers are spending less than 20 minutes viewing a home before deciding to put in an offer, making it a £13,280-a-minute decision for these buyers*, according to new research.

To help homebuyers avoid the common pitfalls of such snap decisions, Zoopla is trialling world-first eye-tracking software during the viewing process, to track where real home-hunters focus their attention during a home viewing. It found that, incredibly, homebuyers spend just 34 seconds looking at a bedroom, and just 1.2 minutes in the kitchen.

The technology has been tested on a group of real home-buyers. It shows where they are focused on in real-time, showing which items, rooms and areas of the home buyers are drawn to, and which are the most neglected.

The types of attributes home buyers focus on

Rather than focusing their attention on important things such as the condition of the boiler, water pressure or signs of damage or damp, homebuyers were more likely to spend time admiring items that wouldn’t even be there when they moved in, such as ornaments, furnishings and decorations. Mirrors, plants and pictures proved particularly popular.

In the hallway, while the coat rack, rug and ornaments were viewed for over a second on average (1.8, 1.2 and 1.1 seconds respectively), structural elements of the property like the ceiling, flooring, radiator and walls were looked at for under a second, or not at all. Many participants were distracted by the feature walls in the bedroom, returning their gaze up to 19 times in various rooms.

Despite being given a full tour of the house, trial participants were least interested in flooring, the roof and the ceiling; all important parts of a home to inspect before making a purchase. Meanwhile, participants didn’t look at radiators for longer than 0.5 seconds in any room despite being a crucial component of a home’s heating system.

The home’s structure including flooring and ceilings earned 38% of the share of attention, with cosmetics and furnishings earning 54%.

Zoopla research into what buyers look for during viewings

The trial follows research from Zoopla among 2000 homebuyers who have attended house viewings in the past five years. It found that just half (50%) of prospective homebuyers check something as important as the boiler and fewer check the water pressure (25%), wifi strength (24%), attic (23%) and cellar (17%).

However, when it comes to cosmetic features and furnishings, these garner a lot more attention. A quarter admit to looking at pictures of the family that live there (25%) and their home technology (24%).

Furthermore 31% look at their flowers, 37% admire their furniture and 14% could be stretching the boundaries of what is acceptable by rummaging through drawers and cabinets, and one in eight (13%) see how comfortable the owners’ bed and sofa is.

Two-fifths (38%) don’t check for damp and three fifths (57%) don’t check for condensation according to the consumer research.

This corresponds with the eye-tracking experiment’s results which showed that while viewers were checking out the bath and shower, the ceilings, which are most prone to damp and condensation in bathrooms, were looked at for the lowest period of time at just 0.34 seconds, taking up just 3% of the share of attention.

Daniel Copley, Consumer Expert at Zoopla, says: “It has been fascinating to use cutting-edge technology to investigate the behavioural habits of buyers, so that we can equip them and sellers with the information they need to make confident decisions when buying and selling a property. 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.

“For those not able to benefit from this trial, Zoopla has a range of helpful online tools including filters to help buyers hone in on appropriate properties, and our data rich listings allow buyers to arm themselves with additional information about a property like its listing history, transport links and local schools.”

Lily Mace, Senior Sales Consultant at Coopers Residential says: “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. We know that, alongside the crucial role that knowledgeable, experienced agents play, there is a great opportunity to leverage technology like this to help our clients make more informed decisions when it comes to the homebuying process.”