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

Breaking Property News 12/5/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Commercial real estate is entering a new era powered by artificial intelligence CRE is now powered by artificial intelligence, automation, smart data, and digital-first workflows. For decades, the industry relied heavily on spreadsheets, disconnected systems, and manual administration. Today, technology is becoming central to…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 11/5/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Do You Really Own Your Building’s Data? Commercial real estate is becoming increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure. Every smart sensor, HVAC system, access control platform, tenant app, and connected device inside a building is generating valuable operational data. The critical question many owners still fail…
Read More →
Breaking News

Rental price and average salary tracker – April 2026

Mixed Rental Trends Emerge Across UK as Regional Price Gaps Widen Scotland recorded one of the strongest monthly increases, with average rents rising from £1,123 to £1,167 (+3.9% month-on-month), reinforcing continued upward pressure in the Scottish rental market. Northern Ireland also saw significant growth, with rents increasing from £887 to £920 (+3.7%), alongside a fall…
Read More →
Breaking News

Seller over-expectation still impacting market

Home sellers still overpricing as just two regions see realistic price expectations The latest internal data analysis from House Buyer Bureau has found that just two regions, London and the South East, are currently seeing seller expectations align with market reality, whilst the rest of the country continues to price above market value, contributing to…
Read More →
Breaking News

Fledgling homeowners cut costs by taking on fixer-uppers to achieve dream home

66% of first-time buyers bought a cheaper home because it needed DIY or renovation work done Many choosing a ‘fixer-upper’ were able to buy in their preferred location, add value and put their stamp on it DIY almost mandatory among first-time buyers, with 93% completing at least one project since moving in But three quarters…
Read More →
Breaking News

House Price Index for April 2026 – Thoughts from the Indutry

The latest Halifax House Price Index for April 2026 shows that: – On a monthly basis, house prices remained largely static, down by just -0.1% between March and April 2026. Annually, house prices were up 0.4%, albeit this rate of annual growth had slowed from 0.8% the previous month. As a result, the average house…
Read More →