Update: We’ve improved the methodology for reporting on this metric. Please refer to the new report here.
Searching for a new home is like a job. Maybe that’s why people most often do it while they’re at work.
The most popular time to search Redfin.com for homes for sale is Friday in the middle of the morning. According to data on Redfin user search activity, nearly 64 percent more people are on Redfin.com at 10 a.m. on Friday than any other time, on average. That peak percentage is followed closely by 11 a.m. on Monday, when about 61 percent more people than average are browsing the site. Redfin users are more likely to use the website during typical work hours, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, than any other time. The trend is especially strong in the morning hours.
On the other end of the spectrum, weekday evenings tend to be relatively unpopular times to search for homes. On Wednesdays at 9 p.m., for example, 7.4 percent fewer people than average are on Redfin.com. And as for weekends, the number of Redfin.com visitors from 6 p.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. on Monday never comes close to the weekday mid-morning rush. The most popular time for users to browse Redfin on weekends is Saturday at 10 a.m., when traffic is 22.4 percent above average, a number that’s still far from the Friday morning peak.
So, why are people spending their work hours looking at real estate listings? One possible explanation is the popularity of weekends for hitting the pavement and touring homes in person rather than through a computer or smartphone screen. Another reason could be the rise in real estate technology tools such as those offered by Redfin.
As one example, Redfin allows people looking for homes on its site to save searches, then sends notifications when new homes meeting their preferences hit the market or when there’s a price change. A serious homebuyer may receive several new notifications throughout a day—and when you’re sitting at work, with a computer on your desk and a smartphone in your hand, it’s hard to resist the temptation of clicking or tapping a link to your potential dream home.
The key word may be “potential.” Clicking a link to check out a new home that’s been listed in a user’s target neighborhood doesn’t mean she’s clicking on the “Start an Offer” button. But the data does suggest that Redfin users enjoy looking at pretty pictures of crown molding and hardwood flooring while sipping on a mid-morning latte at their desk.
