Nosey Britons obsessed with neighbours' house values
...new, informed breed of nosey neighbour emerging: The 'knowsey' neighbour
Recession triggers 'Property Schadenfreude' as homeowners compare neighbours' house values for reassurance
Residents of England far nosier than their Scottish or Welsh neighbours
Londoners most fixated on neighbours' house values; Liverpudlians are least likely to snoop online
Grand Avenue in Camberley, Surrey is the nosiest street in the UK
Homeowners in Britain have always been gripped by how much their own home is worth, but are now increasingly obsessed with their neighbours' house values, according to property website Zoopla.co.uk, which provides free, instant value estimates on every UK home.
In compiling the research, Zoopla.co.uk analysed hundreds of thousands of property value estimates provided using the website's unique real-time valuation tool to uncover Britain's nosiest neighbours. It found that Londoners are more likely to regularly check the value of their own and their neighbours. properties than residents anywhere else in the UK. Liverpool, on the other hand, is the city with the least nosey neighbours in the country (see tables in appendix for full breakdown of major UK cities).
The research reveals that the more interested people are in how much their own home is worth, the more likely they are to keep tabs on their neighbours' too. Overall, residents of England were found to be the nosiest, followed by Scotland and then Wales where residents are least likely to track their neighbours' house values.
Wealthiest homeowners are nosiest about house prices
Residents in the wealthiest areas are amongst the most clued up about the value of their homes along with being most curious about the value of their neighbours' properties. Reigate and Banstead in Surrey topped the rankings of areas where homeowners are most 'in the know' about both their own home's current value as well as tracking the values of their neighbours' properties. At street level, Grand Avenue in Camberley, Surrey is the curtain twitching capital of the UK, with more checks made by local owners on their neighbours' property values than in any other street in the country (see tables in appendix for table of the UK's ten nosiest streets).
However, not everyone is prepared to readily admit to virtual curtain twitching. Out of 3,732 people polled on Zoopla.co.uk, only 42% admitted to looking up the value of their neighbour's property on the website. Work colleagues' properties were the second most likely to come under scrutiny by respondents (viewed by 18% of people), followed by the house prices of family members (12%), perhaps as people keep an eye on their inheritance.
Alex Chesterman, CEO of Zoopla.co.uk, said: "As a nation, we're obsessed with the value of our homes, but, as house prices have fallen it seems it's not only our own houses that are under the spotlight. Homeowners are increasingly monitoring their neighbour's house values either looking for reassurance that their own property's value hasn't fallen by as much or taking some comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone...misery loves company."
"Whether you're looking to buy or sell a property, it pays to do your research, be knowsey and gather as much information as possible on current property values, recent sold house prices and local trends before making any property related property decision."
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Britain's knowsiest neighbours
City | Knowsiness Index* |
|---|---|
146.4 | |
99.4 | |
97.8 | |
97.1 | |
93.2 | |
89.8 | |
87.5 | |
78.6 | |
77.6 | |
74.0 | |
57.5 |
*The higher the score the greater the number of property valuations are sought relative to the number of homes. A score of 100 is UK average nosiness.
Britain's 10 knowsiest streets
Street name | Postcode | Location |
|---|---|---|
For London or regional data please contact the press office.
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