Investor Home Purchases Remain Stable

Overall homebuyer activity has remained low over the past few quarters, but for investors, activity has been consistent. According to real estate marketing platform Realtor.com’s November 2025 Investor Report, 10.8% of homes purchased in Q-2 2025 were bought by an investor. While the number of investor purchases dropped by 4.1% from the prior year, a lack of homebuying activity from the larger housing market kept the share of homes purchased by investors consistent year-over-year. For comparison, 10.7% of homes purchased during Q-2 2024 were bought by investors.

The U.S. continues to grapple with the long-term effects of a housing supply shortage that spans over a decade, now estimated at nearly 4 million homes. While investors help meet rental demand, their activity can constrain for-sale inventory by competing directly with potential homebuyers. In Q2 of 2025, the typical investor purchased a home for $287,000, more than $80,000 below the national median sale price ($372,000 in Q2). This trend highlights how investors tend to concentrate in lower-priced metros and in the lower-priced segments of the market, where homes are more likely to generate positive rental returns. As a result, budget-conscious buyers often find themselves in direct competition with investors for the most affordable properties, a contest many are unable to win.