After seeing a property online, the average person takes eight minutes to decide whether to physically view it or not.

The finding comes out of new research by Foxtons, which also found that the average purchaser views the home they go on to buy twice – and also physically views ten other properties.

The research found that three-quarters of viewers were irritated by property details and pictures online that they felt did not reflect the true nature of the home.

Six in ten said they found it impossible to judge the size of the rooms, half could not tell how light the rooms were, and 52% could not tell from an online listing whether the property was overlooked.

The research also showed that 97% of buyers involve others in their decision making process, while 50% of buyers want friends or family to view the property before making a decision.

Foxtons carried out the research as it starts to roll out a virtual tour offering by Matterport – something it has been trialling for some time.

Interestingly, it is emphasising that virtual tours are of greatest help to the buyers’ friends and family, rather than to the buyers themselves.

A spokesperson for Foxtons said: “The 3D virtual tour will allow friends and family to visit the property virtually and provide valuable feedback at a time that is convenient to them, without having to leave their home or office, significantly simplifying the process.

“At present, this functionality is available for a select number of new homes and exceptional sales and lettings properties on our books. However, future plans include rolling this service out to a larger percentage of our stock.”