Investment properties sold at record levels nationwide and in the Philadelphia metro area last year, with some areas in Chester County seeing more interest than others. Kevin Schaul and Jonathan O’Connell reported on the shopping trend for The Washington Post.

In 2021, investors bought close to one in seven homes sold in the nation’s top metropolitan areas, which is the most in the past two decades. In the Philadelphia area, 15 percent of homes were bought by investors, a higher percentage than elsewhere in the nation.

Neighborhoods with a majority of Black residents garnered much attention, owing to undervalued or lower priced homes. Investors bought 30 percent of overall sold homes in majority Black neighborhoods last year, as opposed to 12 percent in other ZIP Codes.

In Chester County, Exton was at the lower end of investor participation in the market. Just four percent of the homes purchased here in 2021 were bought by investors. Meanwhile, in Malvern, investors showed more interest by buying seven percent of homes.

Atglen had the highest share of homes bought by investors at 16 percent, while Parkesburg and Coatesville each had 13 percent.

Read more about recent, local trends of investment properties in The Washington Post.