Micro Evidence Relating to House Rents, Prices and Investor Size from a Matched Dataset

We examine matched rent-price ratios and rent transaction prices for single-family houses in Miami-Dade County between January 2009 and April 2014. The primary dataset consists of properties that are purchased and then rented within 240 days of the purchase. Each of the buyers in the sample are considered investors since each property included has a rental event indicating they are not owner occupied. We examine the relationship between housing and market characteristics and the impact active investors have on single-family rents and rent-price ratios. Entities that purchase the largest number of units pay more for properties, obtain marginally higher rent and obtain lower rent-to-price ratios.