Union (FL) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Investors hold a 9.1% share of the single-family residential market in Union County, owning 132 of the 1,445 total SFR properties.

The ownership landscape is overwhelmingly composed of individual investors, who own 111 properties (84.1%), compared to just 24 properties (18.2%) owned by companies.

This individual dominance is also reflected in the entity count, with 133 individual landlords making up the vast majority of the 157 total investors in the county.

A strong preference for all-cash holdings is evident, as 87.1% of investor-owned properties (115) are held without financing, indicating a low-leverage strategy among local investors.

The portfolio is clearly business-focused, with 128 of the 132 properties (97.0%) classified as rented or non-owner-occupied, underscoring the purpose of these holdings as rental investments.

A dramatic price disparity emerged in Q4 2025, with landlords paying an average of $75,000 per property—a $222,797 discount compared to the $297,797 paid by traditional homeowners.

This 74.8% discount marks a substantial widening of the price gap from earlier in the year, such as the 23.4% discount observed in Q2 2025, when landlords paid $222,500.

The significant fluctuation in landlord acquisition prices quarter-to-quarter, compared to the relative stability of homeowner prices, indicates an opportunistic purchasing strategy focused on specific, low-cost assets rather than broad market participation.

The low volume of investor purchases in Q4 (2 properties) suggests that this sharp price drop is tied to one or two particularly low-cost acquisitions rather than a market-wide price collapse for investment properties.

This trend reveals a bifurcated market in Union County, where investors operate in a separate, lower-priced tier, likely targeting properties that require significant renovation or are otherwise unavailable to conventional homebuyers.

Investors captured 10.0% of the Q4 2025 purchase market in Union County, acquiring 2 of the 20 total SFR properties sold during the period.

All investor activity was concentrated at the smallest scale, with 100.0% of purchases made by mom-and-pop landlords in the single-property (Tier 01) category.

This activity signals the creation of 2 new landlords in the county, as both purchasing entities were acquiring their first investment property.

In stark contrast, there were zero properties purchased by mid-size (11-1000 properties) or institutional (1000+ properties) investors, underscoring their lack of presence in the market.

The Q4 purchasing data reinforces the narrative of a market sustained by new, small-scale participants rather than the expansion of existing large portfolios.

The investor market in Union County is overwhelmingly dominated by small-scale operators, with mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) owning 98.5% of all investor-held SFRs.

Single-property landlords are the most significant group by a wide margin, holding 113 properties and making up 84.3% of the total investor portfolio.

The data clearly refutes any notion of significant corporate control, as institutional investors with over 1,000 properties nationwide own only a single home in Union County, representing just 0.7% of the local investor market.

Mid-size investors are virtually nonexistent, with only one property held by an investor in the 21-50 property tier and no properties held in any other mid-size category.

This ownership structure highlights a market deeply rooted in small, local investment, with market dynamics dictated by individuals and small family businesses, not large corporations.

Individual investors form the bedrock of ownership in Union County, especially for those building small portfolios.

In the two-property tier, ownership is exclusively individual, with all 7 properties held by non-corporate entities.

Even in the single-property tier, individuals dominate with 97 properties (83.6%), while companies hold just 19 properties (16.4%).

Companies show a slightly higher participation rate in the 3-5 property tier, owning 2 of 11 properties (18.2%), but are still a distinct minority.

The data strongly suggests that the path to building a rental portfolio in Union County is one pursued primarily by individuals, with corporate structures being far less common.

The vast majority of investor-owned properties in Union County are located within a single zip code, 32054, which is home to 112 of the 132 total investor SFRs.

This geographic concentration indicates a targeted investment strategy, focusing on a specific sub-market within the county.

A striking contrast exists between investment volume and market share. The 32697 zip code has the highest investor ownership rate at 62.5%, yet this only represents 5 properties.

Similarly, the 32058 zip code has a high concentration of 27.3% but contains only 3 investor-owned homes.

These patterns suggest that while the bulk of capital is deployed in 32054, smaller, high-penetration pockets exist where investors own a significant portion of a very limited housing supply.

Landlords have consistently expanded their portfolios, maintaining a net buyer status throughout the past two years.

The pace of acquisitions has markedly increased, with 12 properties purchased in 2025 versus only 5 sold, resulting in a strong 2.4-to-1 buy/sell ratio for the year.

This represents a significant acceleration from 2024, when investors purchased 4 properties and sold 3, a much narrower 1.33-to-1 ratio.

Quarterly data throughout 2025 shows a steady accumulation of properties, with net acquisitions in Q2, Q3, and Q4.

The complete absence of transaction data for institutional investors confirms that this market growth is exclusively driven by smaller, mom-and-pop operators.

Investor transaction volume constituted 5.4% of the total market in Q4 2025, with landlords purchasing 2 of the 37 SFRs that transacted.

All landlord activity was from new entrants, with 2 transactions completed by investors in the single-property (Tier 01) category.

These small buyers targeted the low end of the market, paying an average price of just $75,000 per property.

The data shows 0% of these acquisitions were from other landlords, suggesting that these new investors are buying from homeowners or other non-investor sellers.

The lack of any transactions from institutional or mid-size tiers reinforces that market activity is confined to the smallest players, who are focused on value-priced entry points.