Share this article Share this article SEATTLE, May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — U.S. home purchases by investors rose 2.7% year over year in the first quarter, marking the first period of growth since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to a new www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That follows three consecutive quarters of declines, during which investor purchases slumped by as much as 45.5%. Redfin defines an investor as any institution or business that purchases residential real estate. Investors bought about 1 of every 7 U.S. homes (14.9%) in the first quarter—a rebound from the prior three quarters, during which they bought closer to 1 in 10 homes. Investor market share is now just shy of the 16.1% level it hit in the first quarter of 2020, when the pandemic had barely begun.