Investors still account for over 30% of home purchases for the fourth consecutive quarter
Real estate investor purchases declined on both a quarterly and annual basis for the second consecutive quarter, falling by 23.6% from the previous quarter, and 22.9% from the prior year, according to the Q1 2026 Investor Pulse Report from BatchData. Investors purchased just over 236,000 homes in the quarter, down from 309,000 in the previous quarter, and from 306,000 in the first quarter of 2025. Even at these lower levels, investor purchases once again accounted for almost 32% of all home sales in the quarter – the fourth consecutive quarter where investor purchases exceeded 30% of all home sales.
The Investor Pulse Report is a quarterly publication providing strategic market intelligence on investor activity in U.S. single-family residential housing. The report analyzes ownership patterns, transaction trends, pricing strategies, and geographic distribution to deliver actionable insights for real estate professionals, policymakers, and market participants. The report is prepared using data provided by BatchData and other sources by business intelligence firm CJ Patrick Company.
“While the headline number of investor home purchases remains unusually high, the actual number of properties investors are buying has now decreased significantly for the second consecutive quarter,” said BatchData president Ivo Draginov. “First quarter home sales were down year-over-year, due partly to severe weather in the Northeast and Midwest, and partly due to mortgage rates that rose as the market reacted to the war in Iran. So once again, the relatively high percentage of homes purchased by investors is largely due to fewer home purchases overall rather than by increasing investor activity.”
Large Investors Continue to Pare Holdings, While Small Investors Dominate Market
The largest investors – those owning 1,000 or more properties – account for just 2% of all investor-owned homes and are shrinking their ownership positions. Q1 2026 was the ninth consecutive quarter where the largest investors sold more properties than they purchased. Collectively, these large investors purchased 4,300 homes in the first quarter of 2026, while selling over 5,900.
The real estate investment market is not controlled by these large institutional investors. Small investors who own between one and five properties continue to hold 92% of the single-family homes owned by investors, and those owning six to 10 properties just under 4%.
Source: BatchData Q1 2026 Investor Pulse™ Note: Total exceeds 100% since some investors share ownership in properties across tiers
Investors Own 18% of Residential Homes in the United States
There are over 86 million properties classified as single-family homes or townhouses across the United States. Of these, approximately 16 million – or 18% – are investment properties owned by individuals and corporate entities. These are predominantly rental and short-term rental properties which are not owner-occupied.
States with the Highest Percentage of Investor-Owned Homes
Once again, Wyoming, Maine, Alaska, Montana, and Hawaii have the highest percentage of investor-owned single-family homes. Wyoming has the highest percentage of investment properties at 30.56%, followed by Maine at 30.33%, Alaska at 26.93%, Montana at 26.61%, and Hawaii at 26.42%. All of these states depend heavily on tourism, so it’s likely that many of the investor-owned homes are vacation homes and short-term rental properties. Nevada, and North Carolina also have a relatively high percentage of investor-owned homes; both states have investor ownership rates near 25%.
Five States account for almost one-third of all investor-owned properties. Investors own over five million single family homes in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia – roughly thirty percent of the nation’s total inventory of investor-owned properties. Texas investors hold almost 1.4 million homes; California investors own just over 1.27 million; there are just over one million investor properties in Florida; over 790,000 in North Carolina; and just under 640,000 in Georgia.
Investors own at least 18% of the single-family homes in 43 of the 100 largest metros in the United States, with a strong concentration in the Southeast, where five of the 10 markets with the highest percentage of investor-owned homes are located. Investor activity tends to be concentrated in geographic regions where home prices are lower than national averages, and on older homes in need of repair and remodeling rather than the move-in ready homes traditional homebuyers prefer.
About BatchData
Founded in 2018, BatchData is a leading provider of property data and predictive intelligence for the real estate ecosystem. Built by industry experts, BatchData has established one of the deepest and most accurate data lakes in the property technology sector, delivering instant access to over 155 million U.S. property records. The platform empowers businesses – ranging from proptech startups to enterprise institutions – with robust APIs, bulk data solutions, and AI-powered insights. By transforming complex public records into actionable intelligence, BatchData fuels decision-making for investors, lender, and home service providers nationwide. For more information, visit www.BatchData.com.
About CJ Patrick Company
Founded in 2019, CJ Patrick Company is a Market Intelligence and Business Advisory firm working with companies in the real estate and mortgage industries. Visit www.cjpatrick.com for more information.
About the Investor Pulse™ Report
The Investor Pulse Report is a quarterly publication providing strategic market intelligence on investor activity in U.S. single-family residential housing. The report analyzes ownership patterns, transaction trends, pricing strategies, and geographic distribution to deliver actionable insights for real estate professionals, policymakers, and market participants. The report is prepared using data provided by BatchData and other public record data sources by business intelligence firm CJ Patrick Company. More detailed methodology available upon request.
Contact:
Rick Sharga
CJ Patrick Company
(949) 322-4583
