Thanks to the internet, however, there is a glut of new ways to spy. Property websites feature 360-degree tours, complete with floor plans, tax and price information. For smartphones and tablet computers, meanwhile, there are apps which let you pry at the touch of a screen, even while on the move. In the past good manners might have held us back from some of the more flagrant nosy-parker behaviour, but the internet comes with a veil of delicious anonymity. It has never been easier, or less socially risky, to take a look at what’s going on behind the Farrow & Ball.  It might be a long tradition, but not everyone thinks this web snooping is a positive development. “Just like the real thing, 'property porn’ can be addictive and corrosive,” says Henry Pryor, a London-based buying agent. “With Google Street View, and data from the Land Registry, people can peep into the homes of friends and neighbours as well as the rich and famous. It’s easy to discover what work neighbours have had done, how much they paid and whether they have more space than you, 24 hours a day.”  He adds that the internet has made things more difficult for estate agents, too. “Agents can no longer present tempting advertisements and brochures with the bad bits Photoshopped out,” he says. “The property never looks as good online as it would in a glossy magazine, and little is left to the imagination.”  Ed Mead, director at estate agent Douglas & Gordon, agrees that the internet is a mixed blessing. “It’s a double edged sword,” he says. “But sadly there’s not much we can do to stop it. Some high-end vendors won’t put their properties online. If you have valuable artwork, the internet can be a burglar’s charter. Thieves can see exactly what you own and where you keep it.”  He adds that having everything online is also bad for his trade. “We’ve stopped being estate agents, and become key-holders. Thirty years ago, a client would say what they wanted and you would help them find what they actually wanted from what was available. Agents aren’t rocket scientists, but in the past they could at least use their nous.”  Despite all the snooping, then, there are still some advantages to property hunting in the internet age.
More and more people admit to indulging in online property snooping, but is it   really just harmless fun, asks Ed Cumming