America’s political divide is likely to widen further thanks to new real estate platforms that allow potential buyers to check their future neighbors’ political affiliations and other social data and local demographics.
Oyssey is a tech startup that launched this month in South Florida and New York City to give buyers access to their neighborhood’s political affiliations based on election results and campaign contributions.
“We are a platform of advantage for homebuyers at a time when buyers need advantage now more than ever,” said Hugh Nirenberg, CEO of Oyssey.
The startup technology company designed its platform based on the belief that social data, such as age, education, and income demographics, has a greater influence on prospective home buyers than a home’s layout or physical conditions. .
A recent survey from Realtor.com showed that nearly a quarter of Americans are heavily influenced by local and national politics in their real estate purchase decisions.
Oyssey seeks to simplify the way homebuyers work with agents across the real estate industry. The company has not only developed a website that allows users to search for homes, but also tools to streamline contract negotiations.
The platform aims to provide more or less everything homebuyers need to make and solidify their decisions, while integrating political data and consumer block-wise data.
The service is sold as a subscription model, but buyers can reportedly use the platform for free with an invitation from an agent.
Oissey aims to take advantage of recent consolidation in the real estate industry. A recent class action lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors requires buyers to sign contracts with agents and negotiate commissions upfront.
The platform aims to simplify the home buying process for agents and buyers. Nirenberg explained that this is a win-win because buyers have access to exclusive data and agents can negotiate higher commissions.
