Nothing feels more intimate than seeing the inside of someone’s home. From the architectural features to the cozy bedroom decor, each home offers a glimpse into the lives and personalities of those who live there. Zillow, an app designed to help renters, buyers and real estate professionals, has become the perfect tool to satisfy this voyeur’s curiosity without ever setting foot inside the home.
Whether I want to snoop on a friend’s new house or revel in the details of a multi-million-dollar home I pass on the street, Zillow tells me everything I need to know about someone: how much money they have, and whether they’re in , or whether they have a penchant for West Elm rugs.
“People who find themselves crawling on Zillow are often looking for a glimpse into someone else’s world,” says psychologist Reena B. Patel. “They may be curious about what someone else’s home looks like and how they live, or they may just be curious about how much they paid for the home.”
And of course, crawling on Zillow satisfies my blatant curiosity to know everything about everyone around me. But the universal experience of being a “Zillow peeper” goes deeper than that.
Experts featured in this article
Rena B. Battle He is a certified psychologist and behavior analyst.
Why do people love crawling on Zillow?
People use Zillow for many reasons, and to be honest, it’s rarely because they’re really looking to rent, buy, or sell. “The main reason people find themselves crawling on Zillow may be to compare their life to someone else’s,” Patel says.
For the same reason I creep on other social media platforms, Zillow gives me unlimited access to a lot of information about a person that I wouldn’t otherwise have. If I wanted to see what my ex was up to, I could feel better about myself when I saw the rough country house he shared with six other brothers. If I want to know how much my neighbor is selling his house for, I can do that too. And for my very competitive cousin, I can see how much she paid for her apartment – just for curiosity’s sake, of course. . . Maybe even I can catch her up on Thanksgiving this year.
Zillow has become the perfect tool to satisfy that voyeur’s curiosity without ever setting foot inside.
On a deeper level, browsing homes on Zillow also allows me to explore lifestyles different from my own. On Zillow, I don’t live in a house with my boyfriend in the suburbs of Kansas City. Instead, she explored what it would be like to live in a beachfront villa in South Carolina or a high-rise apartment in New York.
Photographing my life as a coastal grandmother on Zillow sometimes inspires me to make it a reality. It makes waking up for my work day a little more valuable. But in other cases, browsing through Zillow is just a relaxing form of daydreaming — a collection of “Wow, what ifs?” Moments I have over and over again.
However, peeping on Zillow isn’t just my thing. Truly, it is a universal experience. On an episode of Bravo’s “The Valley,” Janet Kaperna shared her love of Zillow peeping, saying, “Of course I looked up my friends’ houses on Zillow. Anytime I get an address, the first thing I do is put it on Zillow and take a little tour of the house.” ” Honestly, relevant. And even a TikTok influencer Tinx admitted to doing this as a pre-first date check.
All this to say, don’t feel ashamed about wanting to sneak a Zillow, even if it makes you feel like you’re on a virtual home tour without your consent. “It feels natural to be curious and have a desire to learn more about someone,” Patel says.
However, if your Zillow peeping starts to feel like an “obsession” or something that “occupies your mind,” then it may not be healthy anymore, Patel says. At that point, it may be best to talk with a mental health therapist about your underlying motivations and feelings.
Ultimately, whether out of curiosity, comparison, escapism, or inspiration, using Zillow crawls may be the most underrated form of self-care ever. Who needs Instagram, Facebook, or Venmo when I can see who chooses to sleep under popcorn ceilings?
Taylor Andrews is Balance Editor at PS and specializes in topics related to sex, relationships, dating, sexual health, mental health, and more. During the six years I’ve been editor, I’ve written about how semen is digested, why after-sex care is the move, and how overturning Roe eliminated attitudes.
