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Real Estate

Elise Amendola—AP

"An election year brings with it a natural state of uncertainty," Homes.com reported earlier this year. "After all, at the moment, Americans have no idea who will be leading the country come November, and this can make some buyers extremely wary."

While it's understandable that buyers may be reluctant to make big-ticket purchases during uncertain times, it's less clear the degree to which election years truly have an effect on home purchases in America. Some studies show that the number of home sales dropped only a tiny fraction of a point during election years. Another study, which used data from the California Realtors Association, indicated that home prices rose an average of 4.5% during presidential election years, compared to more robust increases of 6% the year before elections and 5.3% the year after.