Would you want to know your potential neighbor’s political views before deciding to buy a house? A new real estate platform is making that idea a reality. Oyssey lets buyers access a neighborhood’s political affiliations based on election results and campaign contributions.
The company’s CEO Huw Nierenberg told Axios the feature gives users access to data that’s never been available on other platforms. In return, agents are able to negotiate higher commissions.
He said during a house tour, buyers often shift from asking about details of the house to questions concerning the area and people who live nearby.
A recent survey by Redfin shows why political information can be relevant before buying a house. Nearly 20% of people said they’ve had a disagreement with their neighbors over politics.
Around 30% of respondents said they regularly talked about politics with their neighbors.
Oyssey also provides other local demographic data including information on age, education and income of potential neighbors. You can even find how many dogs live in your neighborhood.
When it comes to access, Oyssey is available to real estate agents and brokers through a subscription model. Buyers can use the platform for free by invitation from their agents.
Currently, the platform is soft-launching in south Florida and New York City.
It’s not clear if there are plans for expansion in other parts of the United States.
