Estate agents may be placing too much emphasis on the valuation appointment itself, with new homeowner engagement data suggesting that many instruction decisions are influenced in the days, weeks and even months that follow.
Analysis from Acaboom indicates that approaching 90% of homeowner proposals are viewed, while around two-thirds are revisited more than once. The figures suggest that homeowners continue to compare, question and assess agents long after the appointment has ended.
For many years, much of this decision-making process has been largely invisible to agents. However, increasing levels of digital engagement are beginning to reveal measurable behavioural signals that indicate homeowner intent.
These signals include how quickly a proposal is sent after the appointment, how soon the homeowner engages with it, whether they return to it multiple times, which sections they revisit, levels of pre-appointment engagement, and the questions they ask through AI-supported proposal tools.
Viewed individually, many of these actions may appear insignificant. Analysed together, they create a behavioural picture of the homeowner’s decision-making journey.
According to Acaboom, this is helping agents gain a clearer understanding of which homeowners may be moving closer to instruction, where follow-up should be prioritised and what concerns may still need to be addressed.
Brian Farrell, Founder of Acaboom, said:
“Historically, agents have tried to win the business almost entirely in the living room. But the instruction decision often continues long after the appointment ends.
“What has changed is that the behaviour around that decision is becoming increasingly visible. Agents can now see when homeowners re-engage, what they return to, what questions they ask and where they may still need reassurance.”
The analysis suggests that repeat proposal visits can be particularly significant, as they may indicate that a homeowner remains actively engaged in the decision-making process rather than simply reviewing information once and moving on.
AI interactions are also providing an additional layer of insight. Homeowners are using AI-supported tools to ask questions about fees, marketing, pricing, contract terms and next steps – areas that frequently influence the final instruction decision.
Farrell added:
“This is not about AI replacing valuers or relationship building. It is about helping agents understand where attention is needed most.
“For decades, agents have relied heavily on instinct and experience when deciding who to follow up and when. Behavioural signals now provide an opportunity to make those decisions using real engagement data rather than assumption alone.”
Acaboom believes the future of estate agency follow-up will become increasingly behaviour-led, with agents using engagement patterns, revisit behaviour and homeowner interactions to guide more timely and relevant conversations.
The company says the opportunity is not simply to know whether a proposal has been opened, but to better understand where each homeowner may be in the instruction decision process and what action is most likely to move that conversation forward.
For agents, the findings point to a wider shift in how instructions are won. The valuation appointment remains critical, but the data suggests that what happens afterwards – the speed of follow-up, the relevance of communication and the ability to respond to homeowner concerns – is now just as important.