Zillow usage since March is up 50%+ YoY, as surfing real estate listings on home buying websites becomes a form of escapism amid the pandemic
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times : Tweets: @adrianachavira , @peterwsinger , @westcoastbill , @taylrn , @menendezrand , @marybschneider , and @taylorlorenz Tweets: Adriana Chavira / @adrianachavira : I already own a home and don't foresee moving or selling anytime soon yet I still love browsing on Zillow or Redfin. https://twitter.com/... Peter W. Singer / @peterwsinger : “It has no engagement loop, no social interactions, no real network effects to speak of. It is a giant canvas onto which people project their desires + insecurities, a constantly evolving document not just of the housing market, but of how people lived” https://www.nytimes.com/... @westcoastbill : guilty as charged. https://twitter.com/... Taylor Loren / @taylrn : my therapist told me this is a very healthy coping mechanism & that I should schedule time to browse houses when I am stressed https://twitter.com/... @menendezrand : ‘What many are contemplating when they browse Zillow and similar home buying sites is not necessarily a purchase, but an alternate life. Zillow surfing has become a form of escapism for those who want to flee not just their homes but the reality of 2020’ https://www.nytimes.com/... Mary Beth Schneider / @marybschneider : I do this. And I had no idea it was a thing. https://www.nytimes.com/... Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : “For a lot of people, Zillow surfing feels like the opposite of doomscrolling. You're stuck in your apartment, maybe you can't move, but it's easy to look at listings and imagine yourself in a different life. And maybe in that life Covid isn't happening.” https://nytimes.com/...