IRVINE, CA—Auction.com says its Third Quarter 2015 Real Estate Investor Activity Report shows that flipping maintains a bit of an edge over hold-to-rent, an edge that has lasted several quarters.
The report, released Thursday, is based on nationwide survey of real estate investors bidding on properties offered for auction during the respective period. Survey data collected from investors bidding on property online and at live events across the country reveals that flipping is still the preferred investment strategy among investors, edging out the hold-to-rent strategy for the fourth consecutive quarter—and since Auction.com began tracking the split in investor intent.
“Rising prices and extremely limited inventory make a nearly ideal environment for real estate investors who want to buy, fix and flip properties, and that is precisely where we are in today's market,” said Auction.com executive vice president Rick Sharga. “But record occupancy rates in the rental market also present opportunities for investors who find moderately priced homes they can rent out at a reasonable rate of return, so it's not surprising that we're continuing to see buy-and-hold investing activity in the Midwest and Southeastern states.”
Although Auction.com's findings for the third quarter reveal a propensity toward flipping among investors overall, investor intent varies considerably by the type of auction (live event versus online auction) and investor profile. Survey respondents who indicated that they were making a one-time purchase clearly preferred a hold-to-rent strategy, while respondents identifying themselves as full-time investors” and those indicating that they were working on behalf of another investor strongly favored flipping.
Investors bidding at live events appear to be far more likely to flip the properties they purchase based on survey responses collected in the third quarter of 2015, with respondents indicating a preference toward flipping over holding to rent in every state where Auction.com conducted live events.
Q3 2015 National Findings: Investor Intent
| Investor Profile | Flip | Rent | Undecided |
| One-time purchase | 27.8% | 68.7% | 3.5% |
| Real Estate Investor | 55.1% | 43.3% | 1.1% |
| Working on Behalf of Another Investor | 67.6% | 31.9% | 0.5% |
| TOTAL | 53.7% | 45.1% | 1.2% |
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David Phillips
David Phillips is a Chicago-based freelance writer and consultant with more than 20 years experience in business and community news. He also has extensive reporting experience in the food manufacturing industry for national trade publications.
