O
yssey has been making waves in the residential real estate scene, but its sudden popularity can be attributed to a chance encounter with a regional reporter. The journalist stumbled upon Oyssey as a customer and wrote about it, prompting national publications to take notice, including a segment on "The View." Whoopi Goldberg expressed concerns that the platform's ability to analyze neighborhoods block-by-block based on political affiliations could foster division.

    Oyssey's CEO, Huw Nierenberg, describes his platform as a customer purchasing management tool that uses social data to provide better insights for homebuyers. It offers features like compliance management and secure document organization. The platform is currently accessible by invitation only, with a soft launch planned in New York and South Florida this month.

    Users will pay $99 per month to access data on demographics, political leanings, and other information. Nierenberg emphasizes the platform's ability to create custom buyer-broker agreements, which could be beneficial following new National Association of Realtors rules. He aims to position Oyssey as a leader in listings platforms, even going so far as to challenge Zillow's dominance with a seed round funding campaign.