Institutional investors and iBuyers captured a record share of single-family homes in the second quarter of 2021. These firms accounted for 16.1 percent of all single-family purchases across the nation in that period, approximately double the rate (8.4 percent) a decade ago, according to Redfin data. The tally excludes purchases from smaller, individual investors. This is the highest share for any quarter on record, which goes back to 2000. As iBuyers increase their market share and major private equity-backed companies such as Blackstone Group increase their activity in the single-family space, housing affordability, especially for lower-income buyers, may become a bigger challenge.