> e never seen big corporations own single-family rentals en masse.

I just sold a house to a big corporation that owns about 12,000 homes. There's a whole industry for enabling these buys, opendoor, offerpad, etc... It's usually a wash selling your home as is to a wholesale deal vs. prepping your home and selling it, the difference being done about 60-90 days faster than via retail.

The company I sold to already owned four houses on my street. It's crazy.