So far, the election year has been… interesting, to say the least. While debates have generally had the tone of a Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots match, the country has looked on incredulously as the intransigent candidates trade verbal (and, often times, completely apolitical) blows back and forth.
Homebuyers have not been spared from being affected by the general negativity surrounding politics in the U.S. right now. As Redfin reports, in a recent survey, in quarter two of 2016, 27 percent of homebuyers said the election would negatively affect the housing market. It seems like it is still a relatively small number, but back in February, when that same question was asked, only 15 percent of people believed the election would negatively affect the housing market. Those who believe the election will improve the market has held relatively stable at 11 percent in Q1 and 10 percent in Q2.
Meanwhile, how many times have you heard someone utter this sentence in the past few months; “If [insert disparaging candidate nickname here] wins, I’m moving to Canada!” While people have been saying this quite often, it may simply be an emotional outburst akin to a child threatening to take their ball and go home if they don’t get their way. While 30 percent of respondents said they might say it as a joke, only two percent said they would seriously consider leaving the country while 1 percent vowed to leave the country if their candidate loses.
Those who support Bernie Sanders as the best candidate for housing were six times more likely to consider leaving the country than those who said Trump’s housing policy was better.
Additionally, in answer to a survey question that pretty much exemplifies this year’s election, when asked which candidate will help the housing market the most, the majority of respondents (28 percent) answered with “Other” over Sanders, Hilary Clinton, or Donald Trump.
For the full results of the survey, follow the link below.
