Who buys houses in my county? The top buyers, from the deeds
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readIn most counties, the busiest home buyers are a mix of local investor LLCs, iBuyers like Opendoor and Offerpad, and rental funds, and the deed records name them all. In Maricopa County, Arizona, Opendoor bought 118 houses in the year to September 2026 and local investor LLCs bought 60 to 104 each; in the middle county we track, the top buyer bought about 5.
Before you mail a single seller, look at who's buying in your county. They're your competition for sellers and your customers for deals, and the deed records name every one of them.
What the top buyers look like
| County | Busiest buyers | Purchases each |
|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County, AZ | Opendoor; a local investor LLC; Offerpad; more investor LLCs | 118, 104, 98, then 61 to 99 |
| Shelby County, TN (Memphis) | Local investor and rental companies | 91, 80, 66, then about 40 |
| Duval County, FL (Jacksonville) | A local property holding company, then investor LLCs and Opendoor | 89, then 22 to 30 |
| Dallas County, TX | A local investment company, then investor LLCs and a rental fund | 74, then 24 to 36 |
Source: county deed records via GoForClose. Small investor LLCs not named.
Most counties are smaller: in the middle county we track, the busiest buyer bought about 5 houses in the year, and the top five together about 19.
Three kinds of buyer
- Local investor LLCs: flippers and landlords. These are your end buyers. Put them on your list.
- iBuyers like Opendoor and Offerpad: make online offers on houses in good shape. They compete with you for easy sellers, not for houses needing heavy work.
- Rental funds: buy in volume in certain price bands. Some buy from wholesalers.
What it tells you
- How easy deals are to sell here. Many active buyers means more competition for your contracts.
- What they pay. Their purchase prices show the real investor price for each zip code.
- Who you're competing with for sellers. The busiest buyers are often mailing the same owners you are.
Questions investors ask
How do I find out who is buying houses in my area?
Search the county's recorded deeds for the last 12 months and count purchases by buyer name. LLCs and repeat buyers are investors; iBuyers and rental funds show up by name.
Who are the biggest home buyers?
It varies by county. In big Sunbelt counties, iBuyers like Opendoor and Offerpad and large local investor LLCs often lead. In smaller counties, the top buyer may have bought only a handful.
Why should a wholesaler care who's buying?
They're your buyers. A county with many active investors is easier to sell deals in, and their purchases show what they pay.
Are iBuyers competition for wholesalers?
For some sellers, yes: iBuyers make online offers on houses in good shape. They're less interested in houses needing heavy work, which is where wholesalers live.