REAL ESTATE TOPICS...INVESTORS SHIFT TO NICHE PROPERTIES

INVESTORS SHIFT TO NICHE PROPERTIES; FEWER PAYING ALL CASH, C.A.R. SURVEY FINDS
Source: C.A.R.

More real estate investors are turning to niche properties and away from investing in single-family homes and multifamily properties than they have in recent years, according to a CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) survey of its members about their interactions with real estate investors. C.A.R.’s 2016 California Investor Survey found 10 percent of investors purchased commercial, land, mobile homes, or other types of properties in the past year, up from 7 percent in 2015 and 6.7 percent in 2014.

Making sense of the story

• Given a lack of inventory of distressed homes on the market, the share of single-family homes being purchased by investors has been declining gradually since 2013.

• Seventy percent of investors purchased single-family homes in 2016, down from 78 percent in 2013.

• The share of investors who purchased multifamily properties also declined slightly, dipping from 21 percent in 2015 to 19 percent in 2016.

• Among the reasons investors cited for buying include good location (38 percent), followed by rate of return (30 percent), good price (17 percent), and future development potential (7 percent).

• With fewer available distressed properties, the share of equity transactions has increased steadily, rising from 70 percent in 2014 to 87 percent in 2016.

• Fewer investors (62 percent) are renting out their properties in 2016, compared to last year (65 percent).

• Twenty-six percent of investors are flipping their properties, unchanged from last year, but down from 28 percent in 2014. Twelve percent plan to leave the property vacant, use it as a vacation rental, or other use.