St. James Parish (LA) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Investors hold a significant 11.8% of the 6,022 single-family residential properties in St. James Parish, totaling 709 homes.

The market is characterized by individual ownership, with 579 properties (81.7%) held by individuals compared to just 131 (18.5%) owned by companies.

By entity count, individual landlords outnumber company landlords by nearly 8-to-1 (664 individuals vs. 84 companies), underscoring the 'mom-and-pop' nature of the local rental market.

A striking financial characteristic of this market is that 100% of the 709 investor-owned properties are held free and clear, with zero properties recorded as financed.

The portfolio is heavily geared towards generating rental income, with 698 properties (98.4%) identified as rented or non-owner-occupied.

There is insufficient data to analyze landlord acquisition prices in St. James Parish due to a lack of recorded transactions in Q4 2025.

No comparative data for traditional homeowners or all SFR purchasers was available for the recent quarter, making it impossible to calculate any price differences or discounts.

The market shows no recent price trends, as there were zero recorded landlord property acquisitions in the available data for the current period.

Historical data from 2020-2023 also shows zero properties acquired, indicating a prolonged period of low to no investor purchase activity in the parish.

Without transaction data, it is not possible to determine if pricing differs between individual and company investors in this market.

The investor market in St. James Parish was completely dormant in Q4 2025, with landlords acquiring zero of the zero total SFR properties sold.

This lack of activity was universal across all investor sizes; mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) recorded zero purchases for the quarter.

Similarly, mid-size and institutional investors also made no acquisitions, reflecting a market-wide pause in investor purchasing.

No new landlords entered the market in Q4, as the single-property (Tier 01) category saw zero new entities making purchases.

The data indicates a static investment landscape where investors are holding their current portfolios rather than actively acquiring new properties.

The investor landscape in St. James Parish is dominated by small-scale owners, with mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) controlling a combined 94.2% of all investor-owned SFRs.

Single-property landlords (Tier 01) are the largest group, holding 560 properties, which alone constitutes 78.0% of the entire investor portfolio.

In stark contrast, institutional investors (Tier 09) have a minimal footprint, with just one property representing 0.1% of the local investor-owned housing stock.

Mid-size landlords also hold a small share, with those owning 11-50 properties controlling a combined 5.7% of the portfolio (41 properties).

The ownership structure clearly shows a market built on small, local investment rather than large, consolidated portfolios.

Individual investors are the primary owners across all small-to-medium portfolio tiers in St. James Parish, reinforcing their market dominance.

Among single-property landlords, individuals own 494 properties (88.1%) while companies own just 67 (11.9%).

This pattern continues in the two-property tier, where individuals hold 39 properties (78.0%) compared to 11 for companies (22.0%).

Even as portfolio sizes grow to the 6-10 property tier, individuals maintain a strong majority with 10 properties (76.9%), while companies own 3 (23.1%).

Based on the available data, there is no crossover point where companies become the majority owners, highlighting the deeply-rooted presence of individual investors in the local rental market.

Investor ownership in St. James Parish is geographically concentrated, with the top three zip codes—70071, 70090, and 70052—collectively accounting for 524 properties, or 73.9% of the entire investor portfolio.

The 70071 zip code is the epicenter of investor activity, containing the highest number of investor-owned homes at 214 and the highest ownership rate at 19.9%.

High penetration rates are also seen in other areas, such as the 70723 zip code, where investors own 19.4% of the SFR housing stock (59 properties).

In contrast, the 70763 zip code has a much lower investor penetration rate of 5.5%, despite having a notable 70 investor-owned properties, indicating a larger overall housing market.

The data reveals specific neighborhood-level pockets where rental properties are far more prevalent than in other parts of the parish.

There is no available data on historical landlord transactions in St. James Parish, preventing any analysis of buying or selling trends.

It is not possible to determine if landlords have been net buyers or net sellers, as both buy and sell volumes are absent from the dataset.

Analysis of inter-landlord trading activity cannot be performed, so the percentage of properties bought from or sold to other landlords is unknown.

Similarly, a lack of data for the institutional (1000+ tier) segment means their specific transaction patterns and market position remain unassessed.

Without historical price data for both acquisitions and sales, it is impossible to evaluate implied margins or price appreciation within landlord portfolios.

The fourth quarter of 2025 was marked by a total absence of investor transaction activity in St. James Parish, with landlords involved in zero of the zero total SFR transactions.

This market standstill was consistent across all investor sizes, with mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04) recording no transactions.

The institutional tier was equally inactive, with zero properties bought or sold during the quarter.

Due to the lack of transactions, it is impossible to analyze Q4 purchase prices or identify any pricing strategies specific to different investor tiers.

No inter-landlord trading occurred, as the percentage of properties bought from other landlords was 0% across the board.