Landlords Are Taking Over the Housing Market

While once the United States was a country of homeowners, it is now slowly changing into a country of renters and landlords. In 2016, 37% of houses sold were acquired by buyers who didn’t live in them, according to a report published by Attom Data solutions and ClearCapital.com Inc.

Single-family housing investors aren’t new – following the financial meltdown, private equity and institutional investors acquired inexpensive houses. But while increasing home prices meant larger investors sowed their purchases, smaller investors have come in to buy, instead.

It’s not certain if an increase in rental landlords is a good thing. While these landlords are filling the demand for rentals, they might be also crowding out those who want to be homeowners, but who can’t compete, price-wise, with investors.

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