House porn. 

Nope, we’re not referring to a category on PornHub (at least we don’t think we are). 

Collins Dictionary defines house porn, or property porn, as:

A genre of escapist TV programmes, magazine features, etc, showing desirable properties for sale, especially those in idyllic rural locations, or in need of renovation, or both. 

These days it’s not just TV shows and magazines; social media plays a large role in the accessibility and pleasure of viewing floor plans and floorboards.  

A quick Instagram search for ‘House Porn’ or ‘Property Porn’ shows a plethora of accounts, one of the most popular with nearly 34 thousand followers. 

House porn is the perfect combination of voyeurism and aspiration.

But you already know all this.

We know we’re not the only ones

It will come as no surprise that many of us fully succumbed to our property addiction during the early days, weeks, months and year of the pandemic, so here are some stats we didn’t make up.

Realestate.com.au (REA) have released data between January and November 2020 revealing that almost 50 billion photos were viewed across their website, mobile and app. That’s 2.5 billion property views in under a year.

In total, visitors spent nearly six billion minutes on the site, which equates to 94 million hours, according to Nielsen Digital Content Ratings data. 

Zillow is America’s answer to REA. It’s the most-visited real estate website in the United States and claims to offer customers an on-demand experience for selling, buying, renting and financing.

Zillow also saw a 19% increase in traffic to its website and app in 2020 with 9.6 billion visitors. 

In fact, 83% of Zillow users have searched for a home without any intention of buying. Sounds all too familiar. 

The question remains, why though?

In one word: escapism. 

Particularly when we couldn’t leave our own four walls for nearly two years, many of us turned to property porn to see how the other half live and dream of one day joining them. 

Double height ceilings in living areas, dramatic staircases, muted timber flooring and freestanding stone bathtubs really is the stuff of dreams. 

The beds are made with hospital corners, the throws are thrown precisely, the towels are folded beautifully, the rugs lay flush and centred, and the Aesop hand lotion sits waiting. 

It’s a far cry from the toys, shoes, books, kitchen utensils and other miscellaneous items you see strewn around your own house. In another word, it’s a fantasy.

But this fantasy doesn’t mean you don’t love your own partner home. Variety and voyeurism appear to be the spice of life for we house porn addicts. 

So go ahead and fantasise. After all, that’s why it’s called a dream home.

Some TV shows to support your addiction

From the ethereal introductory music to the project inevitably going over budget and over time, we just can’t get enough of Grand Designs, and between you and me, Kevin McCloud might just be our hall pass. 

Kevin not-so-subtly admonishes the not-so-unsuspecting couples all over Britain and Europe because they just never realise how long it really takes to excavate a historical site. But you’re into it. After all, a little dirt talk never hurt anyone. 

There really are an endless number of shows created of this genre; The Block, Escape to the Country, World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, and Selling Sunset, though we want more panorama, less drama (#morepanoramalessdrama). 

And we couldn’t not mention a show called Celebrity Snoop Dogs, described as an ‘innovative and barking mad new celebrity property show like no other,’ (Because where there’s dogs, there’s pawful puns to be made).

Cameras are attached to adored labradoodles and cocker spaniels who adventure around the homes of their celebrity owners.

(At the time of writing, Celebrity Snoop Dogs was yet to be renewed for a second season). 

How Abodely will support your addiction 

Next time you find yourself hankering for some property porn, grab the best seat in the house with Abodely. 

Abodely is a property app designed to help you showcase, curate or discover your dream home. 

Abodely provides a unique opportunity for home discovery to find homes with quirky features that may otherwise go undiscovered. Have you ever searched for a spiral staircase four-bedroom home in Manly, or an apartment with a rooftop pool in Parramatta? Now you can.

If you’re house-proud, Abodely can be your home’s gallery to share your pride and joy with your friends and family or the entire Abodely community.

If you’re house-curious, you can find what you’re looking for with Abodely’s unique home search. 

Ultimately, our mission at Abodely is to improve the experience for everyone who is passionate about homes and create a community of like-minded people.

Join the Abodely community today!

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