Quote from Alex bobby on February 28, 2025, 4:29 AM

Oyssey: The Real Estate Platform Helping Homebuyers Choose Politically Compatible Neighbourhoods

For most homebuyers, getting to know their neighbours happens only after they’ve settled into their new home. But a new real estate platform, Oyssey, is changing that dynamic by allowing prospective buyers to learn about their future neighbours’ political leanings before making what is often the biggest purchase of their lives.

A New Way to Search for Homes

“The purpose of Oyssey is to democratise data for buyers in their home search experience,” says Darian Kelly, co-founder of the platform. “It’s to get you, as a prospective buyer, a feel for the area and community … to understand, when I move here, these are the type of people that I might be inviting over for dinner. The type of people that I will be raising my child alongside.”

The platform compiles data from sources such as election results, campaign contributions, and marketing research firms. Oyssey, which has launched in Florida and New York, allows realtors to subscribe to its service and provide access to their homebuyer clients. The company plans to expand nationwide later this year.

At its initial launch, the platform provides political affiliation breakdowns on a block-by-block level. However, Kelly says future updates will allow potential homebuyers to check whether their prospective new neighbours are registered Democrats or Republicans.

Political Preferences Shaping Real Estate Decisions

Oyssey taps into an emerging trend where politics plays a role in homebuying decisions. A 2024 study co-authored by Ben McCartney, an assistant professor of commerce at the University of Virginia, found that 1 in every 100 moves is politically motivated. The study also discovered that individuals who relocate due to political differences tend to be less engaged in politics overall.

“They don't want politics to be part of their everyday life, but then they get a new neighbour, and that new neighbour is not only very politically vocal but also affiliated with the opposite party, and that's where we see the strongest tensions arise,” McCartney explains.

Additionally, the study revealed that residents are slightly more likely to move away if they gain a neighbour with differing political views rather than one with similar political leanings. Interestingly, the numbers of Democrats and Republicans wanting to leave politically incompatible neighbourhoods were nearly equal.

“So, political polarisation isn’t just a social media phenomenon but is affecting real economic decisions, as well,” McCartney notes.

Given these findings, McCartney sees the potential of a platform like Oyssey. “People do seem to care about the political identities of their new neighbours, so I'm not surprised that some company is now selling that information, or providing that information, to would-be buyers,” he says. “And I tend to be supportive of policies that make it easier for people to make informed decisions.”

More Than Just Politics: Lifestyle Data for Homebuyers

While Oyssey’s political data feature is the most attention-grabbing, the platform also provides other insights to help homebuyers find communities that fit their lifestyle. For instance, dog owners can use the platform to locate areas with the highest number of registered dogs.

“Where is the area with the most registered dogs throughout their state or county?” Kelly asks. “As a pet owner, that’s where I want to be.”

This feature is part of Oyssey’s broader mission to offer homebuyers data-driven insights to help them make better-informed decisions.

Does Oyssey Deepen Political Divides?

The launch of Oyssey has raised concerns about whether such a platform could contribute to further political segregation in America, a country already deeply divided along ideological lines. Some worry that it might reinforce political “bubbles,” where people only interact with like-minded individuals.

However, Kelly strongly rejects this idea. “I actually get upset by the question,” he says. “I think the question makes the assumption that you shouldn't be the driver, you shouldn't be the writer of your own story.”

He argues that Oyssey is merely making publicly available data easier to find, allowing homebuyers to make choices based on their own preferences. “We believe that we're giving people the data and the information to control their own destiny and do what they will with that information. The data already exists.”

The Future of Real Estate in a Politically Conscious World

As Oyssey expands, it may reshape the way Americans buy homes, adding political and lifestyle compatibility to the list of factors homebuyers consider alongside crime rates, school districts, and commute times.

For better or worse, the platform reflects a growing trend: political identity is becoming an increasingly significant factor in everyday life—including real estate decisions. Whether this trend strengthens communities or deepens divides remains to be seen, but one thing is certain—home-buying in America just got a lot more personal.

Conclusion

Oyssey represents a new frontier in real estate, where political and lifestyle preferences play a significant role in home-buying decisions. By providing prospective buyers with data on their potential neighbours’ political affiliations and other community attributes, the platform aims to help people make more informed choices about where they live.

While some critics worry that such tools could contribute to political segregation, Oyssey’s founders argue that they are simply giving homebuyers access to existing public data to shape their own decisions. As the platform expands nationwide, it will likely spark further debate about the role of politics in daily life and whether Americans are becoming increasingly divided—even in their choice of neighbourhood.

In an era where personal and political identities are more intertwined than ever, Oyssey reflects the evolving priorities of homebuyers. Whether it leads to stronger communities or reinforces ideological divides, it’s clear that real estate decisions are no longer just about location and price—they’re about values, beliefs, and the kind of community people want to call home.