Can political yard signs impact home sales? Michigan realtor weighs in.
(CBS DETROIT) — When shopping for a home, most people consider things like curb appeal, the safety of a neighborhood, and good schools.
However, during election season, political yard signs can say a lot about a community and can impact whether a home sells.
Linda Lombardini, who co-owns Trillium Real Estate in Ann Arbor, said she's seen politics affect home sales firsthand.
"Two sets of clients came into town from out of town, they haven't been around here – looking a little bit more into the country," said Lombardini. "And they both brought up the fact that the political signs that were out there were affecting to them. One of them affected them enough that they decided not to purchase around the area that we were looking."
CBS News Detroit asked residents whether political signs would have an impact on their decision to buy a future home.
"I don't know why exactly I'm embarrassed to say so, but yes, it would affect my decision," said resident Melissa Harris. "I would assume that if there was a big difference in values, that I would probably want to be with people who shared mine."
"My sense is that whatever neighborhood I'm in, eventually I'd like to make friends and connections with people," said resident Jasmin Ashakih. "I think in other times, it was a non-issue, but in the times that we're living in, things are so glaringly fractured."
Lombardini said a good rule of thumb when listing a home is to keep it as neutral as possible and focus only on the home's features.
"I like to take the person, the personality, the whatever, out of the house," she said.