Investors own 229,805 Inland Empire houses, or 22% of the market.
That’s a highlight of my trusty spreadsheet’s review of investor stats from BatchData, which studied ownership of 1.06 million single-family houses in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Statewide, investors own 19% of all houses. Nationally, the share is 20%.
BatchData, a small data tracker that digs deep into property records, reviewed homeownership in order to identify owner-occupied residences compared with those owned by investors. The study includes properties used for short-term or long-term rentals, second homes and vacation retreats. It does not track condos, build-to-rent single-family home projects, or multi-unit properties.
BatchData found investor activity was not uniform across the Inland Empire.
Investors own 129,923 of San Bernardino County’s 478,362 houses, or 27% of the market, at the end of the first quarter.
That’s far more than Riverside County, where 109,872 of 582,056 houses are owned by investors. It’s 19% of the market.
Look at first-quarter 2025 transactions.
San Bernardino County investors bought 1,399 houses while selling 768. So their stakes grew by 631 houses.
It was slightly busier in Riverside County, where investors bought 1,578 houses while selling 818. That’s a 760-house addition.
Or peek at 2024.
San Bernardino County investors added 2,818 houses for all of last year – buying 5,949 while selling 3,131.
It was slower in Riverside County. Investors added 2,465 houses – buying 5,653 while selling 3,188.
So in the 15 months ended in March 2025, investors in both counties grew their collective holdings by 3%.
Critics argue that investors reduce the chances of success for first-time homebuyers. Supporters argue investors bring cash into the market and frequently buy homes that the typical house hunter doesn’t want.
By the way, BatchData found that most California investors are “mom and pop” types, as 91% of investment houses are owned by folks with five or fewer properties.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
