A new real-estate platform in the U.S. will allow users to gain brand-new insights into areas they are considering moving to, including political leanings or the number of dogs in the area.
The tool is being launched by tech startup Oyssey and will soft launch in South Florida and New York City this month, according to Axios.
Oyssey CEO, Huw Nierenberg told Axios that the platform is a win-win for buyers and agents where buyers can access “never before available” data and agents can negotiate higher commissions.
The tech start-up said they believe social data is influencing buyers more than the physical conditions of the home.
This comes after a survey from Realtor.com revealed that a quarter of Americans are highly enlivened by national and local politics in their decision to buy real estate.
Among frequent voters, they found that 31% think it's very or extremely important to live in a place where most people share their political views and 48% of frequent voters feel their politics align with people where they live.
Millennials are the age group most influenced by politics in choosing where they live, with 48% reporting that it's very or extremely influential om choosing where to live and 28% saying they have considered moving because their political views don’t align with where they live.
Homebuyers can use Oyssey for free after receiving an invitation from their agent, they then sign a digital contract and can surf listings and communicate with their agents.
On the platform, homebuyers can view block-by-block consumer and political data, that is pulled from election results, campaign contributions and licensable commercial data, alongside average housing trends.