IRVINE, CA—Auction.com, LLC, the nation's leading online real estate marketplace, has completed its First Quarter 2015 Real Estate Investor Activity Report, a nationwide survey of real estate investors bidding on properties offered for auction during this respective period. Survey data collected from investors bidding on property online and at live events across the country reveals that the flipping trend seen throughout the fourth quarter of 2014 is still going strong – and building momentum in nearly every market surveyed.

This research provides insight into real estate investment trends on both a national and regional level.

“It seems clear that the unusually low inventory of homes for sale has led to higher home prices, which makes it challenging for investors to rent homes out at a rate that's profitable, and still affordable for tenants,” said Auction.com executive vice president Rick Sharga. “So in states like California, Auction.com's findings for the first quarter reveal a 6.5% quarter-over-quarter increase in favor of flipping overall. However, investor intent varies considerably by the type of auction (live event versus online auction) and by investor profile. Survey respondents who indicated that they were making a one-time purchase still preferred a hold-to-rent strategy, while respondents identifying themselves as full-time “real estate investors” and those indicating that they were working on behalf of another investor favored flipping.