Clay (KS) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Investors hold a significant 27.6% share of the Single-Family Residential market in Clay County, owning 786 of the 2,844 total SFR properties.

Individual "mom-and-pop" investors are the cornerstone of the local rental market, owning 592 properties, which accounts for 75.3% of all investor-owned SFRs. In contrast, company investors own the remaining 197 properties (25.1%).

The ownership landscape is skewed heavily towards individuals by entity count, with 777 individual landlords compared to just 90 company landlords, a ratio of nearly 9 to 1.

A striking feature of this market is the complete absence of financing; 100% of the 786 investor-owned properties are held as cash assets. This indicates a low-leverage, financially stable investor base.

The portfolio is overwhelmingly dedicated to rentals, with 754 of the 786 properties (95.9%) classified as rented. This high concentration underscores the primary strategy of local investors: providing long-term rental housing rather than short-term speculation.

There is no available data for landlord or traditional homeowner purchases in Q4 2025 in Clay County, making a direct price comparison impossible for the current period.

The lack of recent transaction data suggests a market with extremely low liquidity and turnover, where properties are held for the long term.

Historical data covering the 2020-2023 period shows an average landlord acquisition price of $84,094, but this figure is based on a dataset with zero recorded property purchases during that time.

Without recent sales, it is not possible to analyze trends like price appreciation or the widening or narrowing of any potential discount between investor and homeowner purchases.

The static nature of the market, as implied by the absence of pricing data, aligns with the holdings data showing a stable, cash-owned portfolio rather than an active, transactional one.

Investor purchasing activity came to a complete standstill in Clay County during Q4 2025, with landlords acquiring zero of the zero total SFRs sold.

This inactivity was universal across all investor sizes; mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) recorded zero purchases, accounting for 0.0% of the nonexistent landlord activity.

Similarly, institutional investors (1,000+ properties), who have no presence in the county, also made no acquisitions, reflecting a total market dormancy.

The quarter saw no new landlords entering the market, as the number of single-property (Tier 01) entities making purchases was zero.

This lack of purchasing activity highlights a "hold" strategy among existing landlords and a lack of new investment flowing into the county's SFR rental market during this period.

The investor landscape in Clay County is dominated by small-scale operators. Landlords owning 1-10 properties (Tiers 01-04) control a combined 91.9% of all investor-owned SFR housing.

First-time or single-investment landlords (Tier 01) form the bedrock of the market, owning 524 properties, which represents a 63.4% majority of the entire investor portfolio.

Mid-size landlords are a minor segment, with those owning 11-50 properties holding only 7.7% of the inventory combined.

In stark contrast to national narratives, there is zero institutional ownership in Clay County. The 1,000+ property tier (Tier 09) holds 0.0% of the market share, reinforcing the local, small-investor character of the area.

The largest active investors in the county fall into the 21-50 and 101-1000 property tiers, which collectively own just 54 properties (6.6% of the total).

While individual investors dominate the overall market, a clear crossover point occurs as portfolios grow. Companies assume majority ownership in the 6-10 property tier, holding 70.5% (31 properties) of assets in that segment.

In the smallest tiers, individual ownership is overwhelming. Individuals own 89.0% of single-property portfolios (468 properties) and 85.1% of two-property portfolios (63 properties).

The transition toward corporate ownership begins in the 3-5 property tier, where companies hold a notable 26.5% share (31 properties).

This pattern suggests a strategic shift where investors incorporate as their holdings expand, likely for liability and management purposes, moving from personal ownership to a formal business structure.

There is no pricing data available to compare acquisition strategies between individuals and companies within these tiers, but the ownership structure reveals a clear evolution in operational strategy as scale increases.

Investor ownership in Clay County is geographically concentrated, with a single zip code, 67432, accounting for 521 investor-owned SFRs. This area represents the core of the county's rental market.

In 67432, investors own 25.0% of the SFR properties, indicating a substantial rental presence in the county's most active housing market.

While concentration by count is in one area, the highest rates of ownership occur in smaller micro-markets. The zip codes of 67410 and 67466 both show a 50.0% investor ownership rate, suggesting half of the SFR stock in these areas are rentals.

The zip code 66937 also shows a high concentration with a 31.8% investor ownership rate on a base of 41 investor-owned properties.

The data highlights a dual dynamic: a large volume of investor properties in one core zip code, and extremely high penetration rates in smaller, more rural zip codes.

Transactional data for landlords in Clay County is unavailable, which strongly suggests a market characterized by long-term holds rather than frequent buying and selling.

It is not possible to determine if landlords are net buyers or sellers, as there are no recorded buy or sell transactions in the historical dataset provided.

Similarly, the degree of inter-landlord trading cannot be measured. The data does not show any instances of investors buying properties from or selling properties to other landlords.

Institutional investors (1,000+ tier) have no transactional history in the county, which aligns with their 0.0% ownership share and reinforces their absence from this market.

The lack of transaction velocity implies that the investor-owned housing stock is stable, with very few properties changing hands among investors or being sold on the open market.

The investor transaction market in Clay County was entirely dormant in Q4 2025, with landlords involved in zero of the zero total SFR transactions recorded for the quarter.

This lack of activity was consistent across all portfolio sizes. Mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04) and institutional investors (Tier 09) both recorded zero transactions.

Consequently, there is no data to analyze Q4 purchase prices by tier, preventing any comparison of buying strategies between small and large investors.

Inter-landlord trading was also nonexistent, with zero properties bought from other landlords during the quarter.

This complete halt in Q4 transactional activity mirrors the purchasing data, painting a picture of a static market where existing investors are holding their assets and no new investors are deploying capital.