Redfin Reports Real Estate Investors Bought a Record 18% of the U.S. Homes That Sold in the Third Quarter

Rhea-AI Summary

In Q3 2021, real estate investors acquired a record 18.2% of U.S. homes, up from 16.1% in Q2 and 11.2% a year earlier, as reported by Redfin. Investor purchases reached 90,215 homes, valued at $63.6 billion. Cash purchases comprised 76.8% of these transactions. The average home price rose to $438,770, while monthly rents surged 10.7%. Notably, single-family homes constituted 74.4% of investor acquisitions. Atlanta and Phoenix saw the highest investor market shares at 32% and 31.7%, respectively.

Positive

• Record 18.2% of U.S. homes sold to investors in Q3 2021.
• Investor purchases increased 80.2% year-over-year.
• Total investor spending rose to $63.6 billion.
• Single-family homes made up 74.4% of investor purchases, the highest ever.

Negative

• Increasing competition from cash-rich investors makes it difficult for individual homebuyers.

SEATTLE, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — Real estate investors bought a record 18.2% of the U.S. homes that were purchased during the third quarter of 2021, up from a revised rate of 16.1% in the second quarter and 11.2% a year earlier, according to a new report from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

Investors bought a record 90,215 homes in the third quarter, up 10.1% from the prior quarter and up 80.2% from a year earlier—the second-largest year-over-year gain on record. In dollar terms, investors bought a record $63.6 billion worth of homes in the third quarter, up from a revised $58.8 billion in the second quarter and $35.7 billion a year earlier. The typical home they purchased cost $438,770—5.3% higher than a year earlier amid an increase in housing prices. More than three-quarters (76.8%) of investor home purchases were paid for with all cash in the third quarter.

"Increasing home prices fueled by an intense housing shortage have created opportunities for investors to reap big profits," said Redfin Senior Economist Sheharyar Bokhari. "Those same factors have pushed more Americans to rent, which also creates opportunities for investors because investors typically turn the homes they purchase into rentals and can now charge higher rents."

Average monthly rents rose 10.7% year over year in September, the fastest growth in at least two years, while the median home sale price increased 13.9%.

"With cash-rich investors taking the housing market by storm, many individual homebuyers have found it tough to compete," Bokhari said. "The good news for those buyers is that the housing market has started to cool. Bidding wars are on the decline, and if home-price growth continues to ease, we may see investors slow their roll."

Redfin defines an investor as any institution or business that purchases residential real estate. All "records" in the report date back to the first quarter of 2000.

Single-Family Homes Make Up Record 74% of Investor Purchases

Single-family homes represented nearly 3 in 4 (74.4%) investor purchases in the third quarter—the highest level on record. That's up from 70.6% a year earlier. Meanwhile, condos/co-ops made up 16.9% of investor purchases, a record low and a decrease from 19.8% in the third quarter of 2020. Townhouses and multifamily housing represented 5.4% and 3.4% of investor purchases, respectively—little changed from a year earlier.

Low-Priced Homes Represent 36% of Investor Purchases—The Smallest Share on Record

While low-priced homes still make up the lion's share of investor purchases, their piece of the pie is shrinking. Low-priced homes represented 36.1% of investor purchases in the third quarter, a record low that's down from 47% a year earlier. High-priced homes made up 30.8% of investor purchases, down slightly from 32.3% a year earlier.

Meanwhile, mid-priced homes represented a record one-third (33%) of investor purchases, up from 20.8% in the third quarter of 2020. This was the first quarter on record in which mid-priced homes represented a larger share of investor purchases than high-priced homes.

Homes With High Heat, Storm Risk Make Up Over 60% of Investor Purchases

Almost two-thirds (65.2%) of the homes investors bought in the third quarter had high heat risk, and a similar share (64.3%) had high storm risk. Meanwhile, 27.1% faced high drought risk, 22.2% had high flood risk, and 3% had high fire risk. These percentages don't add up to 100% because it's possible for homes to face more than one climate risk.

Investors were more likely than non-investors to purchase homes with high heat, drought and flood risk in the third quarter.

Homes with high fire risk likely represent a relatively small portion of overall purchases because many areas that face high fire risk are rural and have very few homes, Bokhari added.

Investors Have the Highest Market Share in Atlanta, Phoenix

In Atlanta, nearly one-third (32%) of homes that sold in the third quarter were purchased by investors—the highest share of the 40 U.S. metropolitan areas Redfin analyzed. Next came Phoenix (31.7%), Charlotte, NC (31.5%), Jacksonville, FL (28.3%) and Miami (28.1%).

Atlanta also saw the largest year-over-year gain, with investor market share rising to 32% in the third quarter from 12.9% a year earlier (+19.1 ppts). The second-biggest jump was in Charlotte (+18.2 ppts), followed by Phoenix (17.7 ppts), Jacksonville (+15.2 ppts) and Las Vegas (+14.6 ppts).

In Providence, RI, just 5.4% of homes that sold in the third quarter were bought by investors—a lower share than any other metro in this analysis. It was followed by Montgomery County, PA (7.1%), Virginia Beach, VA (7.1%), Washington, D.C. (7.2%) and Warren, MI (7.4%).

New York and San Jose were the only two metros that experienced year-over-year declines in market share, falling 0.6 and 0.4 percentage points, respectively.

To read the full report, including the full metro-level data and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/investor-home-purchases-q3-2021

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, instant home-buying (iBuying), rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country's #1 real-estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home can take an instant cash offer from Redfin or have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 6,000 people.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

 

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SOURCE Redfin

FAQ

What percentage of U.S. homes were bought by investors in Q3 2021?

Investors bought a record 18.2% of U.S. homes in Q3 2021.

How much did investors spend on homes in Q3 2021?

Investors spent a record $63.6 billion on homes in Q3 2021.

What was the average home price for investor purchases in Q3 2021?

The average price of homes purchased by investors was $438,770.

Which cities had the highest investor home purchase rates in Q3 2021?

Atlanta and Phoenix had the highest investor purchase rates at 32% and 31.7%, respectively.

What share of investor home purchases were paid in cash in Q3 2021?

In Q3 2021, 76.8% of investor home purchases were paid for in cash.