One in 10 spent less than 15 minutes in their current home before deciding to move in, the survey by mortgages and secured loans broker Ocean Finance also found.
Although picking a new home is one of the most important and expensive decisions people make during their lifetime, less than half of the 2,061 adults questioned said they made two visits to the property they eventually chose, while more than a quarter of respondents had just one viewing.
Most people look at four to six properties before finding one they are happy with, but home hunters in London tend to visit between five and seven. The research report says this could be because the strength of the housing market in the capital for both sales and rentals means homes are snapped up almost as soon as they are made available, forcing those who miss out to continue their search for longer.
When it comes to viewings, nearly two thirds of home hunters only visit properties during the daytime, with just 35% making the effort to look at a potential home in the evening too.
Perhaps surprisingly, people in younger age groups seem to take more care over choosing a home. Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to check out a property during both the day and night, while 9% of 18 to 24 year olds visited their current home five times before deciding to buy or rent it. This compares to just one in 50 people aged 35 and above who did the same.
‘Maybe after waiting several years for the financial crisis to end and the housing market to take off again, most people know exactly what they are looking for. But it’s quite shocking that so many people spend less time on choosing their new home than they would watching EastEnders or Coronation Street,’ said Ian Williams of Ocean Finance.
‘The charges for buying or renting a new home can be steep, so it makes sense to check out a property several times at different points of the day just to make sure there are no obvious problems,’ he explained.
‘Issues like damp or poor light can be difficult to spot in the evening. Likewise, what might seem like the dream property could turn out to be a nightmare once the neighbours come home in the evening,’ he added.
