Keeping Current Matters May 23, 2024
Buyer
Are big investors really buying up all the homes today?
If you’re trying to find a house to buy, this may be something you’re wondering about. Maybe you’ve read about it or seen reels on social media saying investors buying all the homes is making it even harder to find what the average buyer is looking for. But spoiler alert – there’s a lot of misinformation out there. To clear things up, here's the scoop on what's really happening. A lot of the big investor activity is actually in the rearview mirror already.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) explains:
“Investors of all sizes spent billions of dollars buying homes during the pandemic. At the 2022 peak, they bought more than one in every four single-family homes sold, though more recently their activity has slowed as interest rates rose and supply became tighter.”
The key here is investor activity has slowed significantly, and even during the peak of investor buying, 3 out of every 4 single-family homes purchased were by regular, everyday buyers – not investors. And of the investors who bought over the past few years, most weren’t the big investors you may be hearing about. The vast majority were small mom-and-pop investors – people like your neighbors who own only a couple of homes, maybe even just their main residence and a vacation home.
But let’s focus on the giant, mega-investor firms since that's what is being talked about so frequently on social media right now. Mega investors are those who own 1,000+ properties. You may be surprised to see that, according to the Wall Street Journal, they don’t buy all that many homes (see graph below):
This graph tells us two things. First, institutional investors were never buying a large percentage of available homes. During the peak in 2022, they bought about 2% of available single-family homes. Second, that percentage has gotten even smaller recently (so small the number rounds down to 0%).
In an effort to understand why that percentage is trending down, private lender RCN Capital asked investors about the challenges they’re facing. Here’s what Jeffrey Tesch, CEO of RCN Capital, found out:
“Investors are already facing many challenges in today’s housing market – rising prices, limited inventory, and higher financing costs.”
Understanding these challenges is important because they show big, mega investors aren’t taking over the housing market.
So, don't fall for everything you hear. They aren't snatching up all the homes and making it impossible for regular people to buy.
Big investors aren’t buying all the homes out there. If you've got questions about what you're hearing about the housing market, let's chat. I can help you understand what's really going on.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Buyer
July 14, 2025
For the Miami bungalow of Chelsea Hirschhorn, husband-and-wife design team, Monica Santayana and Ronald Alvarez of MONIOMI Design were tasked with capturing a subtle, … Read more
Seller
July 13, 2025
When it comes to selling your home, there are a lot of factors to consider before placing it on the market, including what design decisions could potentially boost you… Read more
Buyer
July 12, 2025
After five weeks in decline, mortgage rates were on the rise in the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey published by Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC).
Lifestyle
July 12, 2025
Wendy’s family rarely misses a daily walk to the beach to watch the sunset with their two precious dogs.
Lifestyle
July 12, 2025
Every afternoon, when I drive up the road to pick up my son from day camp, I pass the nearby sleepaway camp on my way.
Buyer
July 11, 2025
There are plenty of headlines these days calling for a housing market crash. But the truth is, they’re not telling the full story.
We Guide Homeowners through the complicated process of selling their home using our 4 Phase Selling Process and 3 Prong Marketing Strategy that alleviates their stress and moves them effortlessly to their next destination. Schedule a 15 Minute Complimentary Strategy Session Today