RealtyTrac recently reported that a total of 14% of residential sales in the last year derived from people or institutions buying 10 or more residential properties. This is the highest level since RealtyTrac began tracking home purchases two years ago.

Forty-nine percent of last month’s home sales were all-cash, up from 40% in August and 30% twelve months prior.

Institutional buyers have thrived in Georgia and Nevada with a 25% purchase rate. Other states that showed an increase in Institutional Investor purchases included Missouri (17%), Arizona (16%), Illinois (14%) and Texas (13%).

Nationally, home sales have increased 2% in September, according to the RealtyTrac’s U.S. Residential & Foreclosure Sales Report. Sales of single-family homes, condominiums and townhouses (including both market sales and sales of distressed properties) increased to an estimated annualized rate of 5,673,249 units in September, which is 14% higher year over year.

The report presented an increase in distressed properties and an increase in short sales within several states. Fourteen percent of all sales were short sales and 10% were sales of bank-owned real estate. The median sales price of residential properties, both distressed and non-distressed, increased 1% to $174,000 from August and 6% from its median price in September 2012 at $164,500.