If you hold an interest in what other people pay or have paid for their homes, you are not alone!

At Austin Property Services, we work closely with many buyers and vendors, and there is a natural curiosity when it comes to property prices.

Would you ask what someone paid for their home?

Research carried out by Zoopla looked at people’s relationship with local prices, and what other people pay for homes:

• 59% of respondents said they find out what friends, family members, colleagues and even potential partners pay for their home

• 65% of respondents say they’d never tell the owner they had researched the value of their property

• Only 19% of respondents think it is okay to ask someone what they paid for their home

• 36% of people said they would look up the sale price or value of a neighbour’s home

• 34% said they would check out the price a friend paid for their home

• 29% of respondents said they would research what a family member paid for their home

• 11% said they would check out what a colleague paid for their property

• 3% said they would look into what their boss paid for their home

• 28% of respondents said they made presumptions about the earnings of a colleague after finding out what price their home was

Would the price of a home affect your dating life?

• Only 20% of respondents have asked someone what they paid for their home

• 37% of respondents said asking what someone paid for their home is rude

• 28% of respondents said a conversation about property prices is awkward

• 8% of respondents said they check out the price of property owned by a partner, an ex-partner or someone they are dating

• 32% of respondents say they have continued to date someone they wouldn’t have otherwise after viewing their property online

• For people aged between 35 and 44, this proportion rises to 46%

What emotions do you have when you see what others pay for their home?

• 11% of respondents admit to feeling jealous when seeing the value of someone’s home

• 10% said they respected someone more after seeing the value of their home

• 9% said they liked someone more after seeing their home when looking online

• 23% say they look at other homes to get a better value of what their home is worth

• 18% admit to being curious as to what someone’s home looks like on the inside

Tom Parker, Consumer Spokesperson at Zoopla, comments: “We’ve long been known as a property obsessed nation and our latest research highlights just how interested many Brits are in finding out the value of their neighbours’, friends’ and even bosses’ homes. Agents have a key role to play in educating consumers on the accurate value of a property and ensuring they’re not simply comparing their property to others, but also considering how more hidden factors like EPC ratings, property layout and internal renovations can impact the value of a home.”

Tom also said; “Buttoned up Britons love talking about house prices – but for most, asking someone straight-up what they paid for their home is still considered a taboo. But how much a house sold for is publicly available information and is easy to source online. Whether it’s your boss, a friend or even a potential partner, it’s clear we want to know more about the homes they live in and will often treat them differently as a result.”

We know many people have questions and queries right now, and we are here to help as best we can. Please get in touch with Austin Property Services if there is anything, we can assist you with. You can call us on 01305 858470 or you can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..