29-05-2025
We're all addicted to Zillow now
Heather McIlhany doesn't peruse Instagram or X when she's looking to kill time online. She got rid of all her social media accounts. Instead, she heads to Zillow.
McIlhany, a marketing consultant in Arlington, Virginia, is not actually in the market to buy a home right now. That's irrelevant to her real estate browsing, which she describes as 'free, upbeat fantasizing.' She tends to start with nearby listings, but 'then you kind of end up a little bit down the rabbit hole.' What homes are available in Denver, where her sisters live? What could she afford in her hometown of Tulsa? What if she picked up and moved to a Vermont farmhouse or to Scotland? She can try on all the lives she could have had or still might have, without ever leaving the couch.
