I hear you on the inventory issue, but I’m not totally convinced that taking big investors out of the picture would be a game-changer. Last year, I tried to buy a duplex in a smaller city—no Wall Street competition there, but still zero options and prices holding firm. Sometimes it just feels like folks aren’t selling, period, regardless of who’s buying. Maybe zoning rules or construction slowdowns are more of a bottleneck than investors?
I get what you mean—my search has felt pretty similar. Even in neighborhoods where it’s mostly local owners, there just aren’t many listings popping up. I keep wondering if it’s because people are locked into super low mortgage rates and don’t want to sell. Has anyone actually seen new construction making a dent in their area, or is it just as tight everywhere?
It’s pretty much the same story where I am—inventory’s tight, and even the new builds seem to get snapped up before they’re finished. I’ve noticed a couple of small developments, but honestly, they barely make a dent. Most folks I talk to are hanging onto those 3% mortgages for dear life. Even the builders seem cautious, probably because costs are still high and demand’s unpredictable. I remember back in 2019, you’d see spec homes sitting for months... now, they’re gone before the paint dries.
I get what you’re saying about tight inventory and people clinging to those low-rate mortgages, but I’m not convinced banning corporate investors is the magic fix everyone’s hoping for. Sure, it sounds appealing on paper—kick out the big guys and make more room for regular buyers—but in reality, I’m not sure it would suddenly flood the market with affordable homes. A lot of folks forget that institutional investors only own a small fraction of single-family homes nationwide. Most of the competition I see is between regular buyers, especially in the starter home range.
Honestly, if we want to see real change in inventory, we need to tackle zoning restrictions and get serious about easing up on permitting for new builds. Around here, it takes ages just to get plans approved, and that’s a huge part of why builders are cautious. Plus, even with fewer corporate buyers, prices won’t drop much unless there’s more supply. I remember when everyone blamed flippers for high prices… now it’s Wall Street. Feels like the problem is bigger than just who’s buying.
I’ve been house hunting for over a year now, and honestly, I barely ever run into corporate investors—at least not that I know of. It’s mostly just regular people like me, all fighting over the same handful of homes. I get why people want to blame Wall Street, but it feels like the real issue is there just aren’t enough houses to go around. My agent keeps telling me about deals falling through because permits take forever or builders can’t get stuff approved. Even if you kicked out every investor tomorrow, I doubt it would magically make prices drop unless more homes actually get built.
