The Perfect Storm for Permanent Renters
While families wait for interest rates to drop from their current 6.5%-7% range, someone else is buying. Private equity firms are swooping in with cash offers that regular families can’t match.
Here’s how the trap works: Sellers who bought during COVID with 3% interest rates can’t afford to sell. What they’d buy costs more than what they have. Regular buyers are frozen out by high rates.
But institutional investors don’t need mortgages. They buy with cash.
The big private equity firms focus on multifamily units. Private equity already owns one-tenth of US apartments. Now who fills those units? The same families who’ve been convinced to wait on homeownership.
It’s like building private prisons and then investing in more policing to fill them.
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but the logic is bulletproof. Keep interest rates artificially high. Convince buyers to “choose” renting. Buy more rental properties to house them.
Government Obstruction by Design
Los Angeles wildfires revealed how government actively blocks individual ownership. Over 12,000 homes were destroyed in areas like Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
The permitting numbers tell the real story. According to LA County’s official rebuilding dashboard, over 12,000 homes were destroyed across both fire zones. Yet only 153 building permits have been issued total—that’s barely 1.3% of destroyed properties.
Break it down further and the obstruction becomes even clearer: Just nine permits in the Eaton fire area, with zero construction projects completed. The Palisades fire area shows similarly dismal progress.
Meanwhile, California legislators pushed Senate Bill 549, requiring taxpayers to fund low-income housing construction in Pacific Palisades, with social media going ablaze with videos of the Newsom shimmy (here’s just one example):
Is this the land grab LA feared? Residents fought back and the bill got delayed until 2026.
But that doesn’t stop the takeover. Dwell magazine recently published an article reflecting the corporate purchases of lots in Altadena called, “The Corporations Quietly Buying Up Altadena.”
“After combing through public records and deed filings, I discovered that of those post-fire home sales, at least 50 percent were purchased by corporate entities. This on its own isn’t inherently alarming, as individuals can purchase property through LLCs to limit legal exposure. But it is a rate that far exceeds the national average, where corporate buyers account for roughly 23 percent of single-family home sales. Even more striking, 42 percent of those sales are now held by just six companies, each of which has acquired four or more homes.”
The pattern is clear: prevent individual property ownership while institutional investors wait to acquire distressed assets.
This connects to a broader movement toward government acquisition and management of large-scale perpetual rental facilities in high-value areas. The World Economic Forum’s “You will own nothing and be happy” philosophy in action.
The Scale of Institutional Control
The numbers reveal the systematic nature of this shift. MetLife predicts institutional investors may control 40% of single-family rental homes by 2030.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, Wall Street investors bought half the homes sold in 2021 and 2022 in one neighborhood. They’re clustering properties to control entire markets.
When families compete against institutional capital, they’re not just outbid on price. They’re outmaneuvered on speed, financing, and market knowledge.
The result? Home prices have risen 47% since 2020 while rental costs increased 30%. Families get squeezed into permanent renter status while private equity builds rental empires.
Why Homeownership Is Now Rebellion
Homeownership is an Act of Rebellion now more than ever.
Every family that refuses to accept permanent renter status strikes back against this system. Every buyer who fights through high interest rates instead of waiting disrupts the plan.
Homeownership creates legacy wealth that can’t be extracted by institutional landlords. It provides stability and “sense of place” that rental arrangements never deliver.
We cannot allow Wall Street and media narratives to discourage people from achieving homeownership dreams. The window hasn’t closed.
But rebellion requires action, not waiting.
Your First Rebellious Step
Stop waiting for perfect conditions that may never come. The system benefits when you delay.
Connect with lenders who understand current market realities. Many buyers qualify for programs they don’t know exist.
Consider properties that need cosmetic work instead of competing for turnkey homes against institutional cash. Remember, countertops and paint cost thousands, not hundreds of thousands.
Focus on neighborhoods where Wall Street hasn’t clustered yet. Local real estate professionals know which areas still favor individual buyers.
Most importantly, understand what you’re really fighting for. This isn’t just about monthly payments or investment returns.
You’re fighting for the American Dream against forces that profit from its destruction.
The choice is yours: accept permanent renter status or rebel through homeownership.
Choose rebellion. If I can help you in any way, lender recommendations or even just some inspiration, DM me. This is my mission and passion and I’m here for you in the fight against the dismantling of the American Dream.
THE CLEAN CLOSE with Courtney Poulos is available on Substack. To receive new posts and support Courtney’s work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.