The Property Purchase Journey in 2026 | fonemedia

Four in five homebuyers now use a mobile phone at some stage of their property search, and AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Gemini are increasingly shaping shortlists before a buyer ever opens Rightmove or Zoopla. Developers relying solely on portal listings risk entering the conversation too late.

What's changed in the buyer journey?

Two forces are behind the shift. Mobile is now the primary device from initial curiosity through to booking a show home visit — Zoopla reports well over 60% of its traffic is mobile, and the average search runs around eight weeks and nine homes, several of which are viewed online only. Alongside that, AI search tools are being used to compare developments on location, price and reputation before a portal is even opened, so developments that aren't visible to these tools risk being left off the list entirely.

This is playing out in a difficult market: new build sales rates dropped to their lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis in 2025, according to Savills, and with the Bank of England base rate sitting at 3.75% and little certainty on further cuts, competition for qualified buyers remains intense.

Why portal advertising alone falls short

Portal spend only reaches people already actively searching, and puts a development alongside direct competitors on the same page. The bigger opportunity sits earlier, in the awareness stage, where mobile display can build familiarity passively through everyday apps before intent has even formed — so that by the time a buyer does open a portal, your development already feels familiar. The consideration period doesn't end at the show home either; buyers typically keep comparing for weeks afterwards, which is where re-engagement activity keeps a development front of mind through to reservation.

Reaching the right buyers with precision targeting

First-time buyers — affordability-focused and mobile-native, best reached through income filtering and geo-targeting around rental hotspots and commuter areas.
Upsizing families — driven by space and school catchment, reached via family life-stage segments and catchment-based geo-targeting.
Downsizers (55+) — motivated by lifestyle with longer decision cycles, best reached with over-55s data segments and video formats.
Commuter belt buyers — over a quarter now search more than ten miles from home, reached via targeting around transport hubs and commute-time radii.
Competitor interceptors — geo-targeting buyers visiting rival show homes reaches some of the highest-intent audiences in property marketing.

Does mobile-first marketing move the needle?

The results back it up. A geo-targeting campaign for Kier Living aimed at airport employees near a Birmingham-area development directly contributed to eight property sales and proved the most cost-effective channel in the client's marketing mix. Across a portfolio of 50+ housebuilder clients, fonemedia campaigns average around 89% viewability — roughly 20% higher than typical paid social and desktop display.

Getting ready for AI search

The starting point is understanding how AI tools currently describe your developments. fonemedia's Reputation Engineering audit measures how often AI platforms mention a development, benchmarks favourability against competitors, and produces a prioritised improvement plan that can be actioned in-house or managed by fonemedia.

FAQs

What share of homebuyers use mobile? Around 80% use a mobile phone at some point during their search, with over 60% of Zoopla's traffic coming from mobile devices.

How long does a typical property search take? Around eight weeks, viewing roughly nine homes, several of which are seen online only.

What is competitor geo-targeting? Serving mobile ads to buyers physically or digitally visiting rival developments, reaching high-intent buyers who haven't yet settled on where to buy.

Who is fonemedia? A UK mobile-first advertising agency helping housebuilders and property marketers reach buyers through precision mobile display, Experian audience data, geo-targeting and AI search optimisation.

Ready to see what a mobile-first strategy could do for your sites? Get in touch with fonemedia.