US President Donald Trump has announced plans to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, a move that could significantly impact the housing market.
In a recent social media post, Trump stated that he is taking immediate action to restrict these investors from purchasing additional single-family homes, and will be working with Congress to codify this policy. Trump argued that people live in homes, not corporations, as institutional investors such as Blackstone and JPMorgan Chase have been increasingly buying up family homes in recent years.
These investors often buy homes, rent them out, and their presence grew significantly after the foreclosure wave during the Great Recession in 2008, particularly in Sun Belt states. Trump's plan comes amid a housing market that has remained historically stuck due to low inventory and high mortgage rates.
According to data from the National Association of Home Builders, home prices have surged by nearly 55% nationwide between 2020 and 2025. The growth of institutional investors in the single-family home market has been particularly notable, with these investors collectively owning up to 300,000 homes as of 2015, and controlling over 15% of the market for single-family homes in cities such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
While some lawmakers have proposed banning certain corporate investors from the home-buying market, arguing that it would help address housing affordability issues, others have expressed concerns that this move would have little impact on overall housing stock and potentially depress investment in the market. Analysts like Jaret Seiberg at TD Cowen warned that restricting large investor purchases could "boost single-family purchases" but also come with a cost of reducing single-family rentals.
As Trump prepares to deliver an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month, his plan has sparked significant attention and debate among housing experts and economists.
In a recent social media post, Trump stated that he is taking immediate action to restrict these investors from purchasing additional single-family homes, and will be working with Congress to codify this policy. Trump argued that people live in homes, not corporations, as institutional investors such as Blackstone and JPMorgan Chase have been increasingly buying up family homes in recent years.
These investors often buy homes, rent them out, and their presence grew significantly after the foreclosure wave during the Great Recession in 2008, particularly in Sun Belt states. Trump's plan comes amid a housing market that has remained historically stuck due to low inventory and high mortgage rates.
According to data from the National Association of Home Builders, home prices have surged by nearly 55% nationwide between 2020 and 2025. The growth of institutional investors in the single-family home market has been particularly notable, with these investors collectively owning up to 300,000 homes as of 2015, and controlling over 15% of the market for single-family homes in cities such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
While some lawmakers have proposed banning certain corporate investors from the home-buying market, arguing that it would help address housing affordability issues, others have expressed concerns that this move would have little impact on overall housing stock and potentially depress investment in the market. Analysts like Jaret Seiberg at TD Cowen warned that restricting large investor purchases could "boost single-family purchases" but also come with a cost of reducing single-family rentals.
As Trump prepares to deliver an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month, his plan has sparked significant attention and debate among housing experts and economists.