Are Big Investors Really Buying Up All the Homes? Here’s What the Data Says

Lately, it seems impossible to scroll online without seeing some version of this claim:

“Big investors are buying up all the homes.”

If you’ve been outbid on multiple offers, that narrative probably feels believable. With prices high and competition fierce, it’s easy to assume large corporations are quietly snapping up everything on the market.

But there’s an important distinction to make: what people think is happening and what the data actually shows are not always the same.

Let’s take a closer look at the role large institutional investors play in today’s housing market—because the numbers paint a very different picture than the headlines suggest.

The Stat Most Headlines Leave Out

Here’s the key figure most people never see. According to John Burns Research & Consulting (JBREC), large institutional investors—defined as those owning 100 or more homes—accounted for just 1.2% of all home purchases in Q3 of 2025.

In practical terms, that means roughly 1 out of every 100 homes sold went to a large institutional investor.

Just as important, this level of activity is not unusual. It aligns closely with long-term historical norms and is well below the recent high of 3.1% in 2022, which itself represented a relatively small portion of the market.

So while it may feel like large investors are everywhere, on a national level they make up only a tiny fraction of total home purchases.

Why Investor Activity Feels Bigger Than It Is

There are two main reasons this topic gets so much attention:

Investor activity is concentrated, not evenly distributed.

Investors tend to focus on specific regions, which can amplify competition for buyers in those areas. As Lance Lambert, Co-Founder of ResiClub, notes, while large investors own only about 1% of single-family homes nationwide, their presence can be much more noticeable in select local markets.

“Investor” is a broad and often misleading label.

Many headlines combine large Wall Street firms with small, local investors—such as individuals who own one or two rental properties. These are very different types of buyers. In reality, the majority of investors are small, local owners, not massive institutions. When all investors are grouped together in a single statistic, it inflates the perception that big corporations are dominating the housing market—even though they are not.

Yes, large investors exist. And yes, they do buy homes. But nationally, their share of total purchases is far smaller than most people assume.

The real affordability challenges facing buyers today are driven much more by limited housing supply, strong demand, and years of underbuilding—not by institutional investors competing with everyday homebuyers.

That’s why separating perception from reality matters, especially when you’re deciding whether now is the right time to make a move.

Bottom Line

If you’d like to talk about what investor activity actually looks like in your local market—and how it does or doesn’t affect your options—let’s connect.