According to research carried out by Ocean Finance, less than half of the 2061 househunters questioned said they had visited their home twice before plumping for it, with more than a quarter deciding on their property after the initial viewing.

The majority of people in the UK look at four to six homes before finding the place they are happy with, while London househunters visit five to seven on average. Ocean Finance attributes this to the fast moving property market in the capital, where the rate at which properties are snapped up forces homehunters to carry on their searches for longer.

When it comes to viewings, nearly two thirds of home hunters only visit properties during the daytime, with just 35% making the effort to look at a potential home in the evening too.

Younger people seem to take more care over choosing a home. Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely (41%) to check out a property during both the day and night, while 9% of 18 to 24 year olds visited their current home five times before deciding to buy or rent it.

This compares to just one in 50 people aged 35 and above who did the same. Ian Williams of Ocean Finance said:

“Maybe after waiting several years for the financial crisis to end and the housing market to take off again, most people know exactly what they are looking for. But it’s quite shocking that so many people spend less time on choosing their new home than they would watching EastEnders or Coronation Street.

“The charges for buying or renting a new home can be steep, so it makes sense to check out a property several times at different points of the day just to make sure there are no obvious problems.

“Issues like damp or poor light can be difficult to spot in the evening. Likewise, what might seem like the dream property could turn out to be a nightmare once the neighbours come home in the evening!”