The nation’s busiest minute for home-hunting: 8.48pm on a Wednesday

December 2, 2019
Rightmove logo
  • New Rightmove data reveals that 8.48pm on a Wednesday is the most popular time for people looking for their next home1
  • Visits to Rightmove’s platforms peak between 8-9pm each day as many people spend the evening dual-screening
  • Home hunters are set to get ready for a post-Christmas rush, which last year saw traffic on Rightmove2 increase by 231% between Christmas Day and January 2nd

If you’ve ever found yourself home-hunting online just before 9pm in the evening, you’re not alone.

Rightmove’s data scientists have revealed that on average there are more people on the UK’s biggest property website at 8.48pm on a Wednesday than any other minute of the week. The busiest hour is between 8pm and 9pm and the quietest hour is at 4am on a Monday.

Home-hunters spend an average of over one billion minutes searching Rightmove every month3, with an average of 141 million visits each month4.

December is usually the quietest month for home-hunting, but traffic starts to rise from Boxing Day onwards. Last Christmas, page views increased by 231% between Christmas Day and January 2nd and the busiest day in December was Sunday 30th December, as people started to think about moving in the new year.

Rightmove’s property expert Miles Shipside said: “We know just how obsessed the nation is with property, but to see such precise consistency in terms of browsing times is really quite remarkable. It may be that the Wednesday peak of 8.48pm coincides with the final advert break of many TV shows. A few years back the busiest time of day was lunchtime but as mobile usage increased this has changed to property lovers revisiting us every evening.

“As we move into December we see people start to get distracted by turkey and tinsel, but once the celebrations are in full swing it doesn’t take long before traffic rises again. Some may realise their home is too small or they finally decide that next year will be the year they take on an exciting project and buy a fixer upper property.”

Rightmove

UK Property news updates shared directly from Rightmove PLC - the country's leading property portal.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

More than half of ‘Mumlords and Dadlords’ give rent back to help children buy their first home

54% of parents return some or all of the rent paid by their adult children to help them save for a deposit Just over a third say their children are living at home specifically to save for a house deposit; 45% say they feel like a landlord to their own child Parents charge £303 a…
Read More →
Breaking News

The First-Time Buyer Reality Shock

The First-Time Buyer Confidence Gap: 90% Feel Prepared, 71% Get an Unpleasant Surprise The First-Time Buyer Anxiety Index unveils a major ‘confidence gap’ which leaves first-time buyers unprepared for the realities of getting on the property ladder. Nine in 10 first-time buyers believe they are prepared and understand the home buying process before they begin…
Read More →
Breaking News

£50k hit when climbing the property ladder

The average homeowner in England faces an estimated £15,513 in associated costs when upsizing their home, according to the latest research by Yopa. However, in London this figure climbs as high as £47,704. The full-service estate agency analysed the estimated cost of upsizing across England, based on selling an average flat or terraced home and…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Conveyancing causes more stress than property chains

The latest research by Lyons Bowe has found that 42% of recent homebuyers say conveyancing is the biggest barrier to a smooth property transaction, compared with just 19% who point to property chains. The survey of 1,000 recent homebuyers* examined which aspects of the transaction process had presented the biggest barriers to a smooth journey,…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Britain’s most competitive summer rental hotspots

New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove has revealed the areas where renters faced the strongest competition this summer, with several North West towns emerging as the toughest places to secure a home Wallasey and Birkenhead in Merseyside were Britain’s joint most competitive rental market during July and August, with an average of…
Read More →
AI in estate agency letting agency property
Letting Agent Talk

The 5 tasks lettings agents won’t trust to AI

AI must make lettings more human, not less, and that requires real rental intelligence. The latest research from Propoly has found that letting industry professionals see a clear role for AI in property management, but are reluctant to let it operate without human oversight, particularly when decisions involve people, complex circumstances or potentially significant consequences. Propoly…
Read More →