For the past several years, venture capital–backed investment behemoths and mom and pop newbies alike have poured money into real estate. With mortgage interest rates at historically low levels and stimulus cash sloshing through the economy, real estate investment went from vigorous to full-on feverish. And along the way, investors—many of whom came to the party with all-cash offers—fully changed the face of many markets, sometimes locking out first-time homebuyers. However, many of those investors, especially smaller ones, have recently slammed the brakes on their purchases as the housing market has shifted. The market conditions that made the foray into real estate investment such a sexy proposition have in large…