After using it (far more than I should) for well over 15 years, here’s how I set it up for maximum benefit.
(Most of this also applies to Zoopla, and I don’t believe one is better than the other – I just default to Rightmove out of habit.)
1: Set up instant or daily alerts
Email alerts – where properties come to you – are a valuable part of the platform. And to get that first-mover advantage, you want to set them to be sent either daily or instantly.
The problem with this is you can easily be overwhelmed with the number of emails, and stop reading them entirely – which is why the next step is so important…
2: Draw a search area
Most areas of interest won’t neatly align with the radius of a particular postcode. This is why drawing a search area is so powerful: once you know an area you can set it up perfectly so only properties in your strict area of interest will be included.
Pair this with the right filters around property type and price, and everything you see will be relevant – which overcomes the challenge of being overwhelmed with alerts.
3: Set up alerts for properties you already own
This is an easy way to keep an eye on the market in areas you’ve already bought in. I set up both rental and sales alerts, which I set either to the exact postcode or a very tightly drawn area, so I can passively monitor hyper-specific local trends.
I set these alerts to be sent weekly, because they’re informational rather than anything I’ll act on.
4: Use the “Sold House Prices” section
You can find data about previous sales on the Land Registry and many other places, but I like it get it on Rightmove – because it’ll often be enriched with photos, floorplans and the details of past listings. This gives you more context: often, (say) three-bedroom houses on the same street can differ significantly in size, so having some visuals makes it easier to compare like with like.
5: Use the keyword filter
Hiding in plain sight at the top of any page of listings is the “Prioritise properties with…” filter. You can enter keywords here to bring certain properties to the top: “modernisation” and “acre” can be useful ones, or you can include a feature you know you want – like a balcony or garage.
It’s far from perfect, but always worth a try.
6: Grab a browser extension
Wouldn’t it be great to see when a property has been reduced in price? Well, you can with either Property Tracker or Property Log – both extensions for the Chrome browser.
They expose the price history, giving you a picture of how motivated the seller may be – and a way to catch out agents talking about how much interest they’ve had…