Houston sees dip in investor home purchases
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8.4% of Texas houses sold in the first quarter of 2025 were bought by institutional investors, down from 8.7% a year earlier, according to ATTOM, a real estate data firm.
Why it matters: Investors, who often compete with first-time buyers, have pulled back from the U.S. housing market in recent years.
Between the lines: Investors want to see strong population and job growth, solid rental yields, landlord-friendly regulations, affordability, and long-term appreciation potential, ATTOM CEO Rob Barber previously told Axios.
Zoom in: Across Greater Houston, 7.9% of houses were sold to institutional investors in Q1 2025 compared to 8.7% in Q1 2024.
- Investors bought 1,989 houses across the region in all of 2024, according to ATTOM.
The big picture: Institutional investor sales in Q1 fell to the lowest since 2020 nationwide — mirroring a broader housing slowdown — even as their share of total sales ticked up to 6.3% from 6.1% in the previous quarter, per ATTOM.
- Alabama's share was highest at 10.9%, while Maine's was lowest at 2.7%, among states with enough data.
What we're watching: In states like California, Minnesota and Oregon, investors are now offloading more homes than they're snatching up, Realtor.com reports.