It’s hard to scroll online lately without seeing some version of this claim:
“Big investors are buying up all the homes.”
And honestly, if you’re a homebuyer who’s lost out on a few offers, that idea probably sounds believable. When homes are expensive and competition is tight, it’s easy to assume giant companies are scooping everything up behind the scenes.
But here’s the thing: what people assume is happening and what the data actually shows aren’t always the same.
Let’s look at what’s really happening with large institutional investors in today’s housing market – because the numbers tell a much different story than the headlines.
The Number Most People Won’t See Online
Let’s start with the most important stat. According to John Burns Research & Consulting (JBREC), large institutional investors – those that own 100 or more homes – made up just 1.2% of all home purchases in Q3 of 2025 (see graph below):
That’s it. Out of every 100 homes sold, only about 1 went to a large institutional investor.
And here’s an important point that often gets missed: that level of investor activity is very much in line with historical norms. It’s not unusually high, and it’s actually well below the recent peak of 3.1% back in 2022 – which itself was still a small share of the overall market.
So, while it can feel like big investors are everywhere, nationally, they’re a very small (click "Learn More" to finish the article)...
