This landmark study analyzed residential land ownership, not just housing units, across nearly 500 urban counties. Its conclusion is simple but powerful: corporations now own 8.9% of all residential parcels, and that concentration is reshaping how housing markets function.

For individual investors, this matters—because scale cuts both ways.

Big Money Created the Opening

Corporate investors didn’t enter housing because it was easy. They entered because housing is durable, demand-driven, and cash-flow resilient. But in doing so, they also exposed the limits of institutional ownership.

The report documents a consistent pattern:

• Corporate landlords raise rents faster

• They file evictions more often

• Maintenance and code violations increase after acquisition

• Ownership is frequently distant and impersonal

This creates friction at the local level—and that friction is exactly where you can win.

Why Small Investors Have the Advantage

Unlike institutional buyers, you can:

• Buy one property at a time

• Operate locally

• Build real relationships with tenants and neighborhoods

• Adapt faster to market and regulatory changes

The report shows that many cities are responding to corporate concentration with new regulations, rental registries, inspections, and tenant protections. These policies tend to penalize scale, not professionalism.

That’s good news for you who already operate ethically and transparently.

The Land Still Needs Stewards

One of the most overlooked insights in the report is this: land ownership is power.

When corporations own large swaths of residential land, communities lose control over neighborhood outcomes. Local governments know this—and increasingly want local owners who are accountable, visible, and invested in the area.

That’s why many of the policy solutions outlined in the report—such as:

• Rights of first refusal

• Homeownership incentives

• Community partnerships

• Municipal buybacks and resale programs

—actually create new acquisition channels for small investors who know how to navigate them.

Where Small Investors Fit Best

The data shows corporate buyers concentrate where homes are cheap and rents are stable. But those same markets often suffer from neglect, poor management, and reputational damage caused by absentee ownership.

This opens the door for small investors like you who:

• Buy distressed or mismanaged properties

• Renovate thoughtfully

• Offer clean, safe housing

• Operate as long-term owners—not churn-and-burn traders

In many cases, local landlords are now the preferred alternative—by tenants, municipalities, and even sellers who want their properties to stay in community hands.

A Market That Rewards Responsibility

The report is clear: corporate ownership isn’t disappearing. But neither is demand for competent, ethical, small-scale landlords.

In fact, as institutional investors grow larger and more regulated, the value of being:

• nimble,

• relationship-driven,

• and locally accountable

only increases.

For individual investors, the message is not “get out.” It’s get better.

The Bottom Line

Who Owns America confirms what many experienced investors already know: housing is no longer just a transaction—it’s a trust.

Small real estate investors who focus on long-term ownership, quality housing, and community alignment are not being pushed out of the market. They’re becoming more important than ever.

With massive portfolios and faceless ownership, the local investor who knows the street, the tenant, and the neighborhood still holds the strongest position of all.