Loading ...On January 20, 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order aimed at restricting large institutional investors (“Wall Street firms”) from purchasing single-family homes, the White House announced. The order directs federal agencies to prevent the insuring, guaranteeing, or facilitating of sales of single-family homes to these investors to increase availability for individual homebuyers.
Key Aspects of the 2026 Executive Order:
- Targeting Investors: The initiative aims to stop large institutional investors from buying up single-family homes that families could otherwise purchase.
- Federal Action: It instructs agencies to implement “first-look” policies for individual owner-occupants, allowing them to buy foreclosed properties before investors.
- Regulatory Review: The Treasury Department is tasked with defining “large institutional investors” and reviewing rules related to their acquisition of single-family homes.
- Antitrust Focus: The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are directed to review large-scale acquisitions for potential anti-competitive practices in the rental market.
- Goal: The primary objective is to stop corporations from controlling suburban neighborhoods and to lower the barrier for first-time homebuyers.
This order represents a significant policy shift aimed at increasing housing affordability by restricting the purchasing power of large, corporate real estate firms in the single-family market.