That's roughly 1-in-6 Southern California houses.

That means investors own 3.8 million single-family houses in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties.

These numbers are for houses, and does not include condos or build-to-rent single-family home projects.

As of March, there were 637,314 local single-family houses owned by investors, or 17% of the Southern California market.

Statewide, 19% of houses are owned by investors. Nationally, it’s 20%.

By county, San Bernardino is No. 1 at 27%, then Riverside at 19%, San Diego and Orange at 16%, Los Angeles at 15%, and Ventura at 14%. Why San Bernardino? It has “affordable” houses, and its mountains and lakes are recreational draws, both for second homes and rentals.

There is debate about how much the demand from investors adds to affordability woes for house shoppers seeking their own place to live. But if you wonder who’s buying with high prices and mortgage rates, investors remain willing.

Last year, local investors added 15,483 houses to their holdings – buying 35,032 at an average $1.08 million while selling 19,549 at an average of $1.05 million.

Compared to the investment pace between 2020 and 2023, last year represented 23% more net additions, 7% more purchases, and a 3% decline in sales.

Source: OCregister By Jonathan Lansner