Corporate investment in residential housing may be another hurdle for first

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Nearly 9% of residential parcels in 500 U.S. counties are owned by corporations.

Investor ownership is growing, especially in older industrial metros like St. Louis and Buffalo.

States introduced legislation in 2025 to curb corporate buying of single-family homes.

Researchers say investor competition is pricing out first-time homebuyers nationwide.

As corporate ownership of residential property across the country rises nationwide, researchers from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Center for Geospatial Solutions, which is housed at the institute, warn this rising trend has complicated the housing market for first-time buyers .

According to a joint “Who Owns America” report , nearly 9% of residential parcels in 500 U.S. counties are owned by a co