[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f3tvlr150frlqa":3,"$ffeh0925h8cuz":39,"$fbwk2pqjjqsc7":43},{"item":4,"previous":27,"next":33},{"id":5,"slug":6,"title":7,"description":8,"excerpt":9,"contentType":10,"featuredImage":11,"bannerImage":9,"body":12,"agentsBottomLine":13,"bodyImage":14,"isInfographic":15,"categories":16,"isVideo":15,"videoThumbnail":9,"videoSource":9,"publishedAt":25,"updatedAt":26},96800,"the-reason-homes-feel-like-they-cost-so-much-its-not-what-you-think","The Reason Homes Feel Like They Cost So Much (It’s Not What You Think)","\u003Cp>Scroll through your feed and you’ll see plenty of finger-pointing about why homes cost so much. \u003C\u002Fp>","","blog","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20251016\u002F20251023-Blog-Header-Image-original.png","\u003Cp>Scroll through your feed and you’ll see plenty of finger-pointing about why homes cost so much. And according to a national survey, a lot of people believe big investors are to blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Even though data shows that’s not true, nearly half of Americans surveyed (\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.searchlightinstitute.org\u002Fresearch\u002Fwhat-americans-think-about-housing\u002F\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Cstrong>48%\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Cstrong>) think investors are the top reason housing feels so expensive \u003C\u002Fstrong>(\u003Cem>see graph below\u003C\u002Fem>):\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20251016\u002F20251023-What-Americans-Believe-Are-The-Top-3-original.png\">But that theory doesn’t actually hold up once you look at the data.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>The Truth About Investors\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>Investors do play a role in the housing market, especially in certain areas. But they’re not buying up all the homes like so many people on social media say.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Nationwide, \u003Cem>Realtor.com\u003C\u002Fem> found only 2.8% of all home purchases last year were made by big investors (who own more than 50 properties). \u003C\u002Fstrong>That means roughly 97% of homes were bought and sold by regular people, not corporate giants. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at \u003Cem>Realtor.com\u003C\u002Fem>, explains:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cem>“Investors do own significant shares of the housing stock in some neighborhoods, but nationwide, \u003C\u002Fem>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>the share of investor-owned housing is not a major concern.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cem>”\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>So, if it’s not investors, why are home prices so high?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>What’s Really Behind Today’s Home Prices\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\u003Cp>The real story behind rising prices has less to do with who’s buying and more to do with what’s missing: enough homes. Robert Dietz, Chief Economist at the \u003Cem>National Association of Home Builders\u003C\u002Fem> (NAHB), says:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cblockquote>\u003Cem>\"\u003C\u002Fem>\u003Cstrong>\u003Cem>It's been popular among some to blame investors, but with housing, the economics of that don't make a lot of sense.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003Cem> The fundamental driver of housing costs is the shortage itself—it's driven by the fact that there's a mismatch between the number of households and the actual size of the housing stock.\"\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\u003Cp>There simply haven’t been enough homes for sale to meet buyer demand. And that shortage, not investor activity, is what’s pushed prices higher just about everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>","\u003Cp>It’s easy to believe investors caused today’s housing challenges. But the truth is, \u003Cstrong>the market just needs more homes,\u003C\u002Fstrong> \u003Cstrong>and that’s finally starting to happen.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>As more options hit the market, buying may feel a little more realistic again.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Let’s connect and talk about what’s happening in our local market.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20251016\u002F20251023-What-Americans-Believe-Are-The-Top-3-original.png",false,[17,21],{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},5,"For Buyers","buyers",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},9,"Home Prices","home-prices","2025-10-23T10:30:00Z","2025-10-23T10:30:42Z",{"id":28,"slug":29,"title":30,"featuredImage":31,"publishedAt":32,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},96841,"planning-to-sell-in-2026-start-the-prep-now","Planning To Sell in 2026? Start the Prep Now","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20251016\u002F20251022-Blog-Header-Image-original.png","2025-10-22T10:30:00Z",{"id":34,"slug":35,"title":36,"featuredImage":37,"publishedAt":38,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},96923,"why-some-homes-sell-quickly-and-others-dont-sell-at-all","Why Some Homes Sell Quickly – and Others Don’t Sell at All","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20251017\u002F20251027-Blog-Header-Image-original.png","2025-10-27T10:30:00Z",{"cover":40,"open":41,"shareSpread":42},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Cover-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Spread-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Magazine-original.png",[44,48,49,53,57,61,62,66,70,74,78,82,86,90,94,98,102,106,110,114,118,122,126,130,134,138,142,146,150,154],{"id":45,"name":46,"slug":47},1,"Uncategorized","uncategorized",{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},{"id":50,"name":51,"slug":52},6,"For Sellers","sellers",{"id":54,"name":55,"slug":56},7,"Foreclosures","foreclosures",{"id":58,"name":59,"slug":60},8,"Infographics","infographics",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},{"id":63,"name":64,"slug":65},11,"First-Time Buyers","first-time-buyers",{"id":67,"name":68,"slug":69},34,"Senior Market","senior-market",{"id":71,"name":72,"slug":73},35,"Mortgage Rates","mortgage-rates",{"id":75,"name":76,"slug":77},38,"Move-Up","move-up",{"id":79,"name":80,"slug":81},41,"For Sale by Owner","for-sale-by-owner",{"id":83,"name":84,"slug":85},42,"Featured","featured",{"id":87,"name":88,"slug":89},45,"New Construction","new-construction",{"id":91,"name":92,"slug":93},52,"Luxury \u002F Vacation","luxury--vacation",{"id":95,"name":96,"slug":97},53,"Rent vs. Buy","rent-vs-buy",{"id":99,"name":100,"slug":101},80,"Time-sensitive","time-sensitive",{"id":103,"name":104,"slug":105},81,"Outdated","outdated",{"id":107,"name":108,"slug":109},147,"Internal","internal",{"id":111,"name":112,"slug":113},148,"Do Not Autopost","do-not-autopost",{"id":115,"name":116,"slug":117},320,"Inventory","inventory",{"id":119,"name":120,"slug":121},321,"Agent Value","agent-value",{"id":123,"name":124,"slug":125},322,"Affordability","affordability",{"id":127,"name":128,"slug":129},323,"Buying Tips","buying-tips",{"id":131,"name":132,"slug":133},324,"Downsize","downsize",{"id":135,"name":136,"slug":137},325,"Economy","economy",{"id":139,"name":140,"slug":141},326,"Equity","equity",{"id":143,"name":144,"slug":145},327,"Forecasts","forecasts",{"id":147,"name":148,"slug":149},328,"Selling Tips","selling-tips",{"id":151,"name":152,"slug":153},339,"Expired\u002FWithdrawn\u002FCanceled","expiredwithdrawncanceled",{"id":155,"name":156,"slug":157},340,"Price It Right\u002FOverpricing","price-it-rightoverpricing"]