Too much? 17% of California homes are owned by investors

"Investors own roughly one in six of California's single-family residences. That's what my trusty spreadsheet found after reviewing a BatchData report that estimates investor ownership of houses and townhomes nationwide. Investors in this study include everything from giant companies controlling thousands of houses to folks with a small collection of rentals to short-term rental operators to people with a second home."

"According to BatchData, California has 1.3 million of these investor-owned homes. That's the second-highest count among the states, accounting for 8% of the 15.6 million investor-controlled homes nationwide. No. 1 is Texas at 1.4 million, while Florida is No. 3 at 1.1 million. Yes, we're talking about huge housing markets. Still, investor clout cannot be ignored. California investors own 17% of the 7.6 million single-family residences statewide. That's the 16th-smallest share among the states and slightly below the 18% nationwide."

"Just so you know, investors are easiest to find in Wyoming, with a 31% share, followed by Maine at 30% and Montana at 27%. And investor shares are lowest in Minnesota at 9%, Connecticut at 10%, and the District of Columbia at 11%. How much is too much? Well, investors are now prime political fodder as the Trump adminstration says it wants to make it harder for loosely defined institutional investors the largest players to buy homes."

Investors control roughly one in six single-family homes in California, about 1.3 million properties. Nationwide investors control 15.6 million houses and townhomes, with Texas (1.4 million) and Florida (1.1 million) leading counts. California's investor share is 17% of its 7.6 million single-family residences, slightly below the 18% national average. Investor shares vary widely by state, highest in Wyoming (31%), Maine (30%), and Montana (27%), and lowest in Minnesota (9%), Connecticut (10%), and the District of Columbia (11%). Policymakers are considering restrictions on institutional investors amid affordability concerns and a persistent housing shortage.

Read at www.ocregister.com