One in three homes put up for sale last year had already been tracked by a homeowner using Zoopla, according to new figures from the property portal.
Zoopla says its registered homeowner audience has grown by more than a third over the past 12 months to exceed 6.4 million, providing estate agents with access to potential sellers before they formally enter the market.
The portal claims leads generated through this audience convert into instructions at a rate of 43%, twice the conversion rate of its regular valuation leads.
However, Zoopla has not disclosed the number of leads behind those figures or provided a detailed breakdown of how the conversion rates were calculated.
The findings come as estate agents face increasing competition for instructions amid a widening gap between housing supply and buyer demand.
According to Zoopla’s latest House Price Index, the number of homes available for sale has increased by 5% year-on-year, while sales agreed have fallen by 9%.
Agents compete for instructions
Zoopla says its homeowner tools allow property owners to monitor estimated values, local market conditions and buyer demand before deciding whether to sell.
The company also cites YouGov research identifying Zoopla as the leading destination for consumers seeking home valuations.
Agents can access leads from this homeowner audience through Zoopla’s paid Instruction Max and Complete Max packages.
Paul Whitehead, CEO of Zoopla, said: “We’re focused on delivering a strong return on investment for our partners, and helping agents win more high-quality instructions is central to that.
“Our fast growing homeowner audience gives agents a valuable advantage, helping them connect with tomorrow’s sellers.”
Ann Durrell, managing director at Maddox Noel, said the agency uses Zoopla’s Complete Max package to identify prospective vendors.
She commented: “Valuation Booster ensures we connect with the right sellers at exactly the right time, while we also get early, exclusive access to local homeowners before their properties even reach the market.”
Zoopla plans further investment in its homeowner tools during 2027 as it seeks to convert more property owners researching their homes into prospective sellers.
The figures underline the growing competition among property portals to capture potential vendors earlier in the selling process, rather than waiting until they request a formal valuation from an estate agent.
