For all the bright ideas out of Washington, for all the well-meaning home buying initiatives, there remains the one key solution for repairing the real estate economy: the investor.

Today, however, investors are evolving into several different phenotypes. The game is different — beginning, middle and end. HousingWire breaks it down to four broad categories, for easier digestion.

What markets are they looking at? Where do they want to buy? HousingWire breaks down the entire operation. We profile the REO flipper, the distressed property investor, second-time homebuyer and, of course, the first-time homebuyer. The profiles are a mix of cold, hard data combined with anecdotal evidence from the street. It’s a true mortgage finance snapshot.

Enjoy.