Small investors are making up a larger share of home purchases this year and signs of a more balanced market could mean an opening for the average consumer.

"So that inventory over the last three and a half years has jumped up into now we have real inventory," said Jeff Lichtenstein, owner of Echo Fine Properties in South Florida. "So you have a lot of people right now who are selling whether it's land or homes who are willing to deal."

While inventory is rising, home prices and mortgage rates remain high, keeping many prospective first-time buyers on the sidelines.

"All you can do is save, save, save, and even then it might not be enough," one prospective home buyer said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING | Home sales are having their worst summer in a decade as some buyers back out

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