投资者如今更愿意修房子，而不是买房子

有鉴于市场上普通住宅的短缺，一些投资者正在修建住宅。

这些住宅的买家通常是首次购房者和住宅租赁公司，但很多租户如今似乎并不愿意置换更大的住宅，或搬出租赁住宅。这一趋势也为刚组建家庭的青年人士带来了不幸，因为他们可能因为学生债务等原因无力购买或租赁住宅。

《华尔街日报》称，持有地块的机构投资者如今正在修建这类住宅，而此举也是这些公司所采取的新策略，因为它们在传统上依靠购买断供房和其他“廉价”地产发展壮大。

一些公司甚至会购买整个新开发项目，然后按计划将其转变为租赁住宅。其中很多公司可以向建造商支付现金，从而以超低的折扣买下新住宅，然后对外出租数年，而且无需进行重大翻修。

公司购买的这些住宅通常位于现有的住宅区中，而且它们有时还承诺不在庭院中树立出租广告，这样便不会打扰周边的邻居。

就房地产而言，我们预计今年将是买方市场。CNBC称，尽管房价较一年前更高，但大多数主要市场的价格都出现了下滑。同时，市场上的供应量也有所增加，因为人们选择放慢住宅的销售步伐。（财富中文网）

译者：冯丰

审校：夏林

A lack of entry-level homes on the market is prompting some investors to build their own.

These homes are usually purchased by both first-time buyers and rental-home companies. But many occupants now don’t seem to be upgrading to larger homes or moving out of their rental property. It’s a trend that is leaving young families who might not be able to afford to buy or rent a home because of such factors like student debt out of luck.

Now institutional landlords are building those homes, The Wall Street Journal reports, a new move from companies that have traditionally thrived on buying foreclosed homes and other “bargain” properties.

Some companies are even buying up entire new developments with plans of turning them into rental properties. Many of those companies are able to pay builders cash, scoring them deep discounts on new homes that they can then rent for many years without having to do significant maintenance.

The homes are often bought in existing neighborhoods as well, sometimes with the promise of not using yard signs to advertise the rentals in order to not upset neighbors.

This year is expected to be a buyer’s market when it comes to real estate. While home prices are higher than they were a year ago, they are dropping in most major markets, CNBC reports. There’s also more supply in the market, as people are choosing to sell their homes at a slower pace.