The majority (73%) of people in Manchester admit to finding out what friends, family, neighbours and even their boss paid for their home, according to new research released today from Zoopla.

Of the people in Manchester who look up what others have paid for their home, a quarter (26%) claim that they do this regularly. Despite the popularity in Manchester of researching the property values of others, 64% of residents in the city said they would never admit to the owner that they’d researched their home’s value.

Whilst just half (48%) of people surveyed believe it is ok to simply ask someone what they paid for their home, this information is just a few clicks away. Zoopla’s My Home experience enables users in Manchester to find out a home’s estimated value and what was paid for it, revealing if the owner has made a packet on their property. And locals can’t get enough of it.

Love thy neighbour

Curious locals are most likely to look up the sale price or value of the home of a neighbour (41%), a family member (40%) and a friend (34%). One in ten (13%) have looked up how much a colleague paid for their home, and 5% have even checked out the price of their boss’s pad.

When it comes to manners, only half (48%) of respondents in Manchester say they feel it’s acceptable to ask someone what they paid for their home. Almost a third (29%) of people in the city believe asking someone what their home is worth is ‘rude’.

Making assumptions

The research of residents in Manchester also revealed some of the assumptions made when looking up the property prices of others. More than one in ten (15%) people in the city said they assumed the person whose property they researched had more money than they originally thought, while 14% claimed looking at the property price of someone else made them assume the person in question had a large salary.

An eye for design

The reactions caused by researching the property prices of others weren’t all financially related. One in four (24%) people in Manchester claimed they were surprised at how nice the home was when researching the property of someone they know, while almost a fifth (18%) said their research made them think the person in question had great taste. A further 13% of Mancunians claimed they were surprised at how big the home was.

Local expert Stuart Matthews, Managing Director at leading Manchester estate agency Miller Metcalfe, said: “Property values have always been a hot topic with homeowners in Manchester, but it’s the property prices of others that really seems to get tongues wagging. Our natural curiosity to find out what someone else’s home is worth, combined with our beautiful city’s wide range of properties to suit all lifestyles, means conversations around our friends’, neighbours’ or even boss’ properties are likely to remain a staple for many years to come.”

Tom Parker, Consumer Spokesperson at Zoopla, comments: “The people of Manchester clearly love talking about house prices but one in two residents in the city admit it’s still a taboo to ask someone what they paid for their property.

“Luckily for the shy price hunters, how much a house sold for is easy to find on Zoopla. Whether it’s a friend, family member or neighbour, it’s clear that people in Manchester want to know more about the homes they live in.

“This data isn’t just there just to satisfy Manchester’s nosy habits. Zoopla’s My Home Experience has been designed to empower local homeowners with all the knowledge they could possibly need when it comes to making their home-moving decisions, from finding out if their home’s estimated value has soared, to comparing it to similar homes for sale nearby.”