First-time buyer guidance from Zoopla has proved a hit, with 176,000 sign-ups since its launch on Boxing Day.

The ‘Zooploma’ takes the form of 30 emails delivered over the course of ten weeks which help guide first-time buyers.

Advice includes tips for saving for a deposit, the steps to buying a home, and an explanation as to the difference between freehold and leasehold.

All first-time buyers signing up to Zoopla are invited to participate.

Zoopla is now set to follow up with other guides for prospective buyers and renters, with a second Zooploma set to launch in the coming weeks which will focus on the rental market.

First-time buyers can sign up to receive advice at at https://www.zoopla.co.uk/worth/first-time-buyers

* Separately, Zoopla has said that branch numbers are up 8% year on year, but has not revealed overall numbers.

Zoopla recruited some 2,250 new branches last year and says that the membership increase “excludes closures and consolidations of estate agency branches”.

Unlike publicly listed Rightmove and OnTheMarket, Zoopla does not have to give out information such as branch numbers.