Investors are buying more single-family homes across the U.S., and a growing number of them are large corporations.
This market trend has made it harder for homebuyers in the greater Tampa Bay region, who are increasingly outbid by investors for the same homes.
And in some cases, the large corporations backed by Wall Street are also squeezing out mom and pop landlords.
In the neighborhoods where large corporations are buying up the most single family homes, homeowners and renters say there’s major downsides.
This WUSF series was reported in partnership with the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida.
-
Large corporations, like Amherst and Invitation Homes, own thousands of homes across the greater Tampa Bay region. Renters say they’re unresponsive, quick to evict and only care about their bottom line. -
Data shows that holdings by midsize investors, people who own fewer than 100 homes, aren’t growing as fast as other investor groups in the Tampa Bay region. -
WUSF wants to know what it's like for renters in the greater Tampa Bay region who live in a build-to-rent neighborhood, or who rent a home owned by a large corporation. -
The influx of investor activity, by individuals and corporate entities, is changing the feel of neighborhoods, homeowners say. -
Corporate investors don’t yet represent a large market share of single family homes. Experts say that could change.
