House-Viewing

Becomes One of Britain's Biggest Leisure Past-Times

 Forget football, blow out badminton - house-viewing is the new leisure past-time.

With nearly one million properties being sold each year according to The Land Registry, Brits are fuelling their passion for keeping up with the Jones's with an orgy of house-viewing.

According to a new report commissioned by Crown Paints, sponsors of the popular Channel 5 House Doctor TV series, there are nearly nine million house viewings each year - that's virtually 25,000 for every day of the year!

 Report author and psychologist Dr Louise Payne believes people are intrinsically fascinated by what goes on behind closed doors: "As human beings we are a sociable and inquisitive species, with a great deal of interest in how other people live. With rising crime having put paid to the days of permanently open doors, we can't even get into the Jones's house, let alone keep up with it! The trend towards soap operas and home makeovers on TV and the fascination with celebrity homes in OK and Hello! magazines are giving us licence to be part of the private aspects of people's lives, yet in the everyday world there are fewer opportunities to access that. House-viewing can offer the perfect opportunity to have a peek behind closed doors"

When choosing which properties to view, experienced house-hunters are motivated by two factors: the aspiration of a high status area, and affiliation with a particular political belief or value system. Just look at the way house prices in Islington shot up when Tony Blair became Prime Minister and still lived there and, thanks to Peter Mandelson, politicians' homes are now hitting the headlines in their own right.

 Professional house-viewers are men and women on a mission. The house on the hill may be beyond their means but its colourschemes, decor and furnishings can be copied at will in their own des res. It is the next best thing to owning the actual house and makes them feel closer to the lifestyle they aspire to.

According to Crown Paints colour expert Judy Smith, it is not surprising that real homes are proving such a source of inspiration. "At the end of the day, homes featured on TV or in magazines genuinely inspire people, but there is no substitute for seeing first-hand how a real home has been decorated and being able to copy it yourself".

 However, help is at hand for hapless homesellers. Dr Louise Payne provides advice for homeowners on how to spot a leisure-viewer:

false smiles which do not involve the muscles of the eyes or cheeks the voice drops and speech becomes more hesitant averting the gaze indicates uncertainty or untruthfulness standing with the arms folded across the chest or clasped behind the back comments on the colourschemes rather than the room sizes fails to enquire about local services and council tax bands when questioned, admits to having a similar size and style house as yours! With the average time taken to sell a house running at 10 weeks, Crown Paints' advice to housesellers is to arm themselves with their decorating details as much as their fuel bills in preparation for when the For Sale sign goes up!

 Home-viewers checklist:

Crown's research reveals the top five features on the professional home-viewer's checklist:

1. structural alterations eg loft conversions, knocking through walls or room dividers to     increase the number of bedrooms

2. home extensions, especially conservatories

3. interesting decorating colourschemes

4. layouts of kitchens & bathrooms to maximise space

5. interesting features eg fireplaces, light fixtures, shelving ideas

 Ann Maurice, presenter of Channel 5'sHouse Doctor series believes it is her programme that has intensified the home-viewing past time: "It's not just another makeover programme - it combines the snoop factor with the emotive subject of increasing the value of your property. People in this country are really quite nosey and, with House Doctor, they get the chance to pick-up fresh ideas as well as criticising other people's decoration tastes."

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