Majority of homebuyers taking just two viewings and 30 minutes to find their perfect property

Research by next-generation guided virtual property viewings platform, U-See Homes, has revealed how homebuyers are snapping up properties within just two viewings, spending just 30 minutes to an hour before deciding to commit to a purchase.

The survey commissioned by U-See Homes analysed UK homebuyers to have purchased a property within the last six months and found that 39% of them did so after just one viewing.

A further 43% took just two viewings before deciding it was the right house for them, with just 12% of homebuyers returning for a third viewing and just 6% opting for four or more viewings.

The speed of the current viewing process isn’t confined to the number of viewings alone, with half of homebuyers (51%) taking just 30 minutes or less and a further 41% taking no more than an hour.

This suggests that for the majority of homebuyers who viewed a home no more than twice, the decision process may have taken between 30 minutes to two hours before they committed to a purchase.

However, this process could have been even quicker for some. Of those that took more than one viewing before deciding to purchase, 28% stated that the ability to view their home via a guided virtual tour would have removed the need for their initial first viewing.

Of course, while many homebuyers know within a viewing or two that they’ve found the house for them, the road to discovery can take a little longer.

40% stated that they viewed five or more other properties before they found the one that was right for them, although nearly a quarter (23%) again believed that they could have avoided these unnecessary viewings had a virtual guided tour of the property been available.

Simon Dempsey heads up marketing for U-See Homes and says

“We know that homes are going under offer incredibly quickly in current market conditions and we’re now starting to see a shortage of stock entering the market to satisfy the overwhelming buyer demand spurred by the stamp duty holiday.

Homebuyers themselves are also acting at pace, with the vast majority taking just one or two viewings before making an offer and rarely spending more than an hour or two in the process.

However, the majority are also viewing a number of properties before they discover their perfect home and while viewing times are brief, they can certainly start to add up when travelling from one house to the next.

It’s clear that the wider availability of guided virtual tours could certainly help in this respect, reducing the need to view homes unnecessarily and saving a considerable amount of time for both homebuyer and agent alike.”

Survey of 1,122 recent UK homebuyers (last six months) carried out by U-See Homes via consumer research platform Find Out Now (18th June 2021).