More investors are flipping properties again, a trend that started last year and is building momentum across the country, according to Auction.com's First Quarter 2015 Real Estate Investor Activity Report.
Read more: Where the House Flippers Are: 10 Markets
Investors lately are showing more interest in purchasing a home to flip than renting it out. In fact there was a 6.5 percent quarter-over-quarter increase in favor of flipping in the first quarter of 2015.
"It seems clear that the unusually low inventory of homes for sale has led to higher home prices, which makes it challenging for investors to rent homes out at a rate that’s profitable, and still affordable for tenants," says Rick Sharga, Auction.com's executive vice president. "So in states like California, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona a large number of investors have decided that the best opportunity today is to meet the demand of prospective home owners by buying, fixing, and re-selling investment properties."
Survey respondents indicated a preference toward flipping over a rent-to-hold strategy in every state Auction.com conducts live auction events. The West and Midwest had the largest margins of investors favoring flipping over renting. The five states that had some of the largest numbers of investors in favor of flipping over renting were Nevada, California, Washington, Idaho, and North Carolina.
However, the preference depends on investor profile, Auction.com’s survey found. Survey respondents who said they were making a one-time purchase still tended to prefer a hold-to-rent strategy. On the other hand, survey respondents who identified themselves as full-time “real estate investors” and those who work on behalf of another investor showed a preference toward flipping.
Source: Auction.com
