August 2026
For years, a lot of would-be homebuyers have worried about the same thing: how do you compete with big investors who can swoop in, pay cash, and snap up the houses you want? Here in the Capital Region I hear this from first-time buyers all the time — so I wanted to share some good news.
Right now, those big investors aren’t buying up the market. They’re backing out of it. According to Redfin, investor home purchases just fell to their lowest level since 2020 — when the start of the pandemic temporarily caused pretty much all homebuying to pull way back. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to 2016 to find a time when investors bought this few homes.
Two big reasons. First, Washington passed a housing law that takes aim at large institutional investors. These mega investors were never as big a part of the market as the headlines made it sound, but the law still targeted the largest ones, and it worked fast — investment by mega investors who own 1,000+ properties retracted almost instantly once the law was announced.
Second, the housing market has cooled. Price growth has slowed in much of the country, and in some markets, prices are dipping. That makes the math a lot less appealing for investors betting on quick gains, especially with higher holding costs like property taxes, insurance, and renovation materials.
This is the part most people miss. Big investors aren’t just slowing down their purchases — data shows the largest institutional investors are now selling more homes than they’re buying, and that gap has been growing for four straight quarters. Every one of those homes goes right back into the market for buyers like you. And since big investors tend to own homes at the lower end of the price range, a lot of what they’re selling is exactly the kind of home first-time buyers are looking for.
Big investors are stepping back, and they’re adding homes to the market as they go. Less competition from deep-pocketed buyers, more homes hitting the market, and many of them at prices that work for a first purchase — that’s a shift that works in your favor. If you’ve been waiting for a better shot at buying, this could be it. Reach out and let’s talk about what’s popping up in your area — you may have more options than you think.
Market data and analysis courtesy of Keeping Current Matters.
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