In a recent statement, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to pursue a ban on large institutional investors from acquiring single-family homes, citing concerns over housing affordability for average Americans. Trump argued that corporate ownership has exacerbated the housing crisis, making it increasingly difficult for many, especially younger generations, to attain what has traditionally been seen as the American Dream of homeownership.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of the housing market, attributing rising home prices to factors he associates with the Biden administration. “For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream,” he stated. He emphasized that the time has come to take action, announcing plans to push for legislative measures that would prevent large investment firms from purchasing single-family homes, declaring, “People live in homes, not corporations.”
The impact of this announcement was immediately felt in the stock market, particularly among major players in the real estate sector. Shares of Invitation Homes, the nation’s largest single-family rental operator, fell by 7%, while Blackstone, a prominent investing firm heavily involved in the housing market, saw a decline of 4%. Other significant institutional investors, including Apollo Global Management and BlackRock, also experienced stock price drops in response to the proposed ban.
While Trump did not outline specific implementation details for the proposed ban, he indicated that further housing policy proposals would be forthcoming during an upcoming speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Additionally, Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at making it more challenging for larger investors to purchase single-family homes.
The call for intervention comes at a time when the national median price for existing single-family homes reached $426,800 in the third quarter of 2025, just shy of its summer peak of $435,300, according to the National Association of Realtors. Current mortgage rates are also impacting affordability, with the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage hitting 6.19%.
Blackstone, which has built a substantial portfolio of more than 230,000 apartment units across the U.S., has recently invested billions in real estate acquisitions, including notable companies like Tricon Residential and American Campus Communities. The growing concern over institutional investors’ influence on the housing market has sparked a debate about the long-term implications for homeownership accessibility in America.
