Buying something to rent it out is clearly investing.
Buying something to fix it and re-sell it is usually also seen as investing.
Buying something to use it (live in it) could also be an investment but usually isn't seen as such because it's assumed that you only live in one place.
If it appreciates, cool. I can make more money when I move somewhere else and use that to leverage my next house WHICH I LIVE IN.. If it goes down, bummer, but I can still use that to leverage my next house WHICH I LIVE IN.
I bought the house to live there, not as a financial instrument. The financial thing is secondary.
If the market goes up or down, I cant do shit about that.
But you pick on the fact that I'm talking about a primary (and in my case, sole) residence, and this article is talking about parasites that buy hundreds or thousands of homes to then turn back around and gatekeep living spaces.
Id say tax those vultures out of a company. They do nothing good, and cause boundless suffering.