News Mortgage News Home Flipping Drops to 21st-Century Low Off the Charts: The Visual Says it All By The Balance Editors The Balance Editors We’re a team of writers and editors with decades of experience researching and answering questions about personal finances. We believe everyone should feel confident when making money decisions, and that passion drives us to make The Balance the best place to learn about finances. learn about our editorial policies Published on June 21, 2021 Fact checked by Glenn Hunter Photo: Maskot/Getty Images The business of flipping houses is among the victims of the topsy-turvy pandemic housing market, and a chart shows just how swiftly and deeply it has fallen in popularity since early 2020. In the first quarter of 2021, only 2.7% of all home sales were flips—deals in which an investor buys a house and then aims to sell it for a higher price to make a profit—according to ATTOM Data, a property data company. That’s compared to 7.5% in the first quarter of 2020 and 8.8% at the beginning of 2006, the height of the housing bubble. The latest data shows the lowest rate of home flipping since at least 2000. The drop-off in popularity probably has to do with the rapidly increasing price of houses, which has pushed down profit margins for flipping, Todd Teta, chief product officer at ATTOM Data, said in a report. “The first quarter of 2021 certainly marked a notable downturn for the flipping industry, with the big drop in activity suggesting that investors may be worried that prices have simply gone up too high,” Teta said. “After riding the housing boom along with others for years, they now might be having second thoughts. Whether this is the leading edge of a broader market downturn is little more than speculation.” Have a question, comment, or story to share? You can reach Diccon at dhyatt@thebalance.com. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. ATTOM Data. “Home Flipping Rate and Gross Profits Decline Across U.S. in First Quarter of 2021.”