Overview
- In the first half of 2026 small investors made 66.2% of all investor purchases while large and mega investors bought less and were net sellers.
- Investors still accounted for 10.7% of home purchases even as the number they bought fell to the lowest first-half total since 2020.
- All-cash investor purchases declined to 55.5% in H1 2026 from roughly 68% in 2021–2022 while the overall market cash share was 30.0%.
- Investor activity stayed concentrated in Midwest and Sun Belt metros such as Memphis, St. Louis and Kansas City where investors made about one in five purchases.
- The typical investor paid about 22.4% less than the non-investor median price, a pattern that suggests investors are focusing on lower-priced or entry-level homes and may still compete with first-time buyers.