Hope Leitner, Realtor®, CRS

Fear of a recession is back in the headlines. And if you’re thinking about buying or selling sometime soon, that may leave you wondering if you should reconsider the timing of your move. A recent  survey  by  John Burns Research and Consulting  (JBREC) and  Keeping Current Matters  (KCM) shows  68% of people are delaying plans to buy or sell due to economic uncertainty. But it may not be for the reason you think. Not everyone is holding off because they’re worried.  Some buyers are waiting because they’re hopeful.  According  to  Realtor.com: “ In 2025Q1, 3 in 10 (29.8% of) surveyed homebuyers said a recession would make them at least somewhat more likely to purchase a home . . . This reflects a common dynamic where some buyers see a downturn as an opportunity.  If the economy enters a recession, the Federal Reserve may respond by lowering interest rates to stimulate activity, potentially putting downward pressure on mortgage r...

  Remember the chatter in the headlines about all the homes big institutional investors were buying? If you were thinking about buying a home yourself, you may have wondered how you’d ever be able to compete with that. Here’s the thing. That’s not the challenge so many people think it is – especially right now. Let’s break down what’s really going on and why the recent shift in the approach investors are taking could tip the scales in your favor. Large Investors Are Pulling Back The truth is institutional investors never represented as big a share of the housing market as people think. And now, they’re backing off even more. Today, big real estate investors aren’t buying as many homes. In fact, they’re actually selling more than they’re buying. According to  data  from  Parcl Labs , 6 out of 8 of the largest institutional single-family rental investment companies in America sold more homes than they bought in the second quarter of 2025 ( see graph below ): And here’s...