I love the spring homebuying season. But I'm not buying a home, selling one or even working as a real estate agent. With the warmer weather comes a ton of new property listings on sites like Zillow.
That's when I find myself in a rabbit hole, clicking through photo after photo. Considering I cover the housing market and mortgages for a living, I guess that could fall under the purview of my job. Market research and all that.
But if I'm being honest, I'd do it regardless. My dad studied architecture in college and has always had an eye for design. Growing up, he'd lecture me on "good" stonework versus "bad.
" And don't get me started on the importance of window placement or the correct way to hang shutters. It's still the first thing I clock when I pass by a new house. Some people are obsessed with fashion, art or music.
For me, it's real estate. When I visit a new city or town, I'll imagine what it's like to live in the houses I like and question the design choices of the ones I don't. Zillow is just the online version of that — except better.
I can see the interiors and even gawk at the asking prices, particularly for the brownstones in my Brooklyn neighborhood. I'm not alone in this. A 2021 survey from Surety First, a California-based insurance agency, found that 55% of respondents spend between 1 and 4 hours a day on Zillow.
In 2023, the real estate platform counted nearly 10 billion visitors. I think it's the same reason people binge-watch House Hunters, Million Dollar L.