Homebuyers looking for neighbors who share their political views have a new tool to find a community of like-minded voters.
Axios reports the tech start-up Oyssey has soft-launched a real estate platform that allows buyers to view block-by-block consumer and political data, along with traditional housing trends. The partisan data is culled from election results, campaign contributions and licensable commercial data.
Oyssey has rolled in South Florida and New York City this month. The new platform is being marketed as a monthly subscription service to agents and brokers, and buyers can sign a digital contract with an agent to tap into its data.
CEO Huw Nierenberg told Axios provides buyers with “never before available” data while agents can use this information to negotiate for higher commissions.
“It’s about getting buyers homes that they love,” he said.
This sounds like a new form of discrimination. Lawsuits will follow.
Any Agent or Broker who signs up for this service is just asking for a fair housing violation. If a Buyer wants the information they are free to go find it but I wouldn’t provide it or be connected to it in any form.
Agree with the first two comments and would add the salvation of our Country depends on all of us, both sides of the isle and the middle as well to be able to get along, exchange ideas openly and agree to disagree but still be friends and neighbors. Recently heard an old proverb – we all have two ears and one mouth – need to listen more, speak less and judge less.
Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but “political affiliation” is not a protected class under federal or any state fair housing law. I also doubt that any licensee who shares information from the website could be accused of steering; likewise, I doubt that any mortgage broker or lender could be found liable of redlining. Would I, as a real estate licensee share this url or its data with a prospective client or others in the office? Probably not. Why? It’s irrelevant. I’ve been in the business for close to 20 years and have never heard of a buyer passing on a purchase opportunity because a neighbor may be affiliated with one political party or the other. It just doesn’t happen. I live in a “blue” state. Just because I voted for Reagan in the 1980s didn’t affect my decision to move here. Do I care whether my neighbors are blue, red, green or communist? Not really.