Investors, cash buyers visit San Antonio housing

SAN ANTONIO – Alamo City has never been a really active city for real estate investors; however, it is seeing more investor interest than some other Texas markets.

Institutional investor activity accounted for 12 percent of all home sales in July, according to an analysis by RealtyTrac. This figure accounts for a higher percentage of home sales than in the Dallas (11 percent), Houston (10 percent) or Austin (6 percent) metros.

The percentage of all-cash buyers is also higher in the Alamo City. Over the 31 days ended July 31, 2013, cash sales accounted for 30 percent of all transactions in San Antonio — versus Dallas, 27 percent; Houston, 29 percent; and Austin, 26 percent.

One area where San Antonio is not seeing as much activity is REOs (real estate owned) or bank owned properties that have been foreclosed on and are owned by the foreclosing lenders.

REO sales accounted for 6 percent of the market in San Antonio — below Dallas’s 7 percent and Houston’s 9 percent, but above Austin, where the percentage was 4 percent.