1024 ET - U.S. real-estate investors bought 47,004 homes in 4Q, the lowest for that period since 2016, down 3.9% from last year, Redfin says. High home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and a slowing market deter purchases, reflecting trends in overall home sales, which hit a record low in January. Tepid demand, slowing price growth, and rising inventory are making flipping less profitable, while plateauing rents reduce rental investment appeal. Economic uncertainty--recession fears, and worries about inflation, tariffs, and jobs--are pushing some people toward safer assets, like bonds. High interest rates are also keeping borrowing costly, impacting investors despite about 65% paying cash, as they often rely on loans for flipping costs. Redfin agents note that in some parts of the country investors are quiet because they're not seeing the rate of return that they were two or three years ago. (chris.wack@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 05, 2025 10:24 ET (15:24 GMT)

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