Buying a home is the biggest purchase most Americans will ever make. So it would make sense that people would invest the time to painstakingly scrutinize their mortgage options. Right?

But a recent survey of 2,900 adults shows that most typically spend only five hours researching home loans, according to a Zillow.com study. To put that into perspective, those surveyed, on average, spend eight hours researching a car purchase and 10 hours considering major home improvements, such as kitchen remodels, Zillow reported. The survey, which was conducted last month by research firm Harris Interactive, also showed that people spend roughly five hours planning a single vacation.

“What most people don’t realize is the type and terms of a loan are often more significant than the actual purchase price as these factors can dramatically affect the affordability of a home,” Zillow CFO Spencer Rascoff said in a statement.

On the bright side, the people surveyed seemed to indicate a desire to do more in-depth research in the future. Those who plan to get a loan or refinance within the next year said they expect to get six mortgage quotes, on average, according to the study. That’s compared to the four quotes on average obtained by people who secured a mortgage in the past five years.

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