Crawford (MO) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Landlords in Crawford County currently own 2,590 Single Family Residential (SFR) properties, representing a substantial 34.4% of the total SFR market. This high penetration underscores the significant role of investors in the local housing landscape.

Individual investors overwhelmingly dominate the market, holding 1,903 SFR properties, which accounts for 73.5% of all landlord-owned units. Companies, in contrast, own 711 properties, making up the remaining 27.5%.

The prevalence of individual landlords is further highlighted by entity counts, with 2,688 individual landlords compared to 510 company landlords, indicating a fragmented market primarily composed of smaller, local investors (CH03-1, CH04).

A notable pattern in current holdings is the high proportion of cash purchases, with 1,978 properties acquired via cash, dwarfing the 612 properties that are financed. This suggests a strong capital position or preference for debt-free assets among investors in the county (CH05).

The entire landlord portfolio of 2,590 properties is classified as non-owner-occupied, confirming that these units are primarily held for rental income, aligning with the core definition of investor activity.

The average portfolio size for individual landlords is approximately 0.71 properties per entity (1,903 properties / 2,688 entities), while company landlords hold an average of 1.39 properties per entity (711 properties / 510 entities), indicating that companies, while fewer in number, tend to manage slightly larger portfolios.

In Q4 2025, landlords in Crawford County paid an average of $222,230 for SFR properties, securing a notable 13.3% discount compared to traditional homeowners who paid $256,448 (CH06-2). This translates to a $34,218 savings per property for landlords.

The landlord's pricing advantage, while still substantial, has seen a consistent narrowing throughout 2025. The discount peaked at 23.0% ($64,325) in Q2 2025, gradually decreasing to 16.3% ($52,609) in Q3, and settling at 13.3% in Q4 (CH06-2).

Despite the narrowing gap, landlords have consistently paid less than traditional homeowners across all reported quarters of 2025, demonstrating a persistent ability to acquire properties at more favorable prices ($183,669 vs $235,317 in Q1; $215,318 vs $279,643 in Q2; $270,715 vs $323,324 in Q3) (CH06-2).

The largest price difference was observed in Q2 2025, where landlords paid $215,318, a significant $64,325 less than homeowners' average of $279,643. This quarter provided the most substantial discount for investors.

The provided data does not differentiate between individual and company landlord acquisition prices, precluding an analysis of price variations between these owner types. However, the overall trend confirms a strategic advantage for all landlords in property acquisition.

In Q4 2025, landlords in Crawford County significantly impacted the market, completing 38 SFR purchases, which represents a substantial 44.2% of the total 86 SFR properties transacted during the quarter (CH12-1).

Mom-and-pop landlords (Tier 01-04, 1-10 properties) were the primary drivers of this activity, accounting for 34 properties or 89.5% of all landlord purchases in Q4 (CH07-2). This highlights their critical role in recent market dynamics.

The single-property landlord tier (Tier 01) was particularly active, with 24 properties purchased, representing 63.2% of all landlord acquisitions (CH07-2). These purchases were made by 35 distinct entities, indicating a healthy influx of new, small-scale investors into the market.

In stark contrast to the mom-and-pop activity, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) recorded no SFR purchases in Crawford County during Q4 2025, signaling their complete absence from current acquisition strategies in this market.

Beyond single-property owners, smaller-medium tiers also contributed to Q4 activity: Tier 02 (two-property) saw 3 purchases (7.9%), Tier 03-05 (small landlord) also made 3 purchases (7.9%), Tier 06-10 (small landlord) added 4 purchases (10.5%), and Tier 11-20 (small-medium) completed 4 purchases (10.5%) (CH07-2).

The ratio of properties purchased per entity varies across tiers, with Tier 01 averaging 0.69 properties per entity (24 properties / 35 entities), reflecting new entrants buying a single property. Tier 02 shows 1.5 properties per entity (3 properties / 2 entities), suggesting existing smaller landlords adding to their portfolios, while Tier 06-10 average 1.33 properties per entity (4 properties / 3 entities).

Mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04, 1-10 properties) collectively control an overwhelming 95.4% of all investor-owned SFR properties in Crawford County, totaling 2,539 properties (CH08-1). This underscores their profound impact on the local rental housing supply.

The single-property landlord tier (Tier 01) forms the backbone of the investor market, owning 1,997 properties, which alone accounts for 75.0% of all investor-held SFR. This highlights the significant role of first-time or very small-scale investors (CH08-1).

In stark contrast to the mom-and-pop dominance, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) hold a negligible share, controlling only 3 properties or 0.1% of the total investor-owned SFR (CH08-1).

While Tier 01 dominates in sheer property count, a gradual decrease in property count is observed across subsequent tiers, with Tier 02 holding 201 properties (7.6%) and Tier 03-05 holding 247 properties (9.3%) (CH08-1).

The provided data does not include acquisition prices segmented by tier for All Time, Q4, 2024, or 2020-2023, preventing an analysis of pricing strategies across different investor sizes.

Despite their minimal holdings, the few institutional investors (1000+ tier) active in this market appear to be in a divestment phase, having been net sellers in Year 2025 (1 buy vs 2 sells), further diminishing their already small presence.

Individual investors are the undisputed dominant force in the smaller landlord tiers within Crawford County. They own 1,640 properties (81.4%) in the single-property tier (Tier 01) and 153 properties (75.4%) in the two-property tier (Tier 02), illustrating their strong presence at the entry level of the market (CH09-1).

A clear crossover point occurs where company ownership begins to surpass individual ownership. While Tier 03-05 remains nearly evenly split (50.6% individual, 49.4% company with 125 vs 122 properties), companies become the majority owners in the 6-10 property tier, controlling 64 properties (68.1%) compared to individuals' 30 properties (31.9%) (CH09-1).

This trend of increasing company concentration continues into larger portfolio sizes; in the 11-20 property tier, companies own 73 properties (77.7%) compared to individuals' 21 properties (22.3%), signaling companies' preference for scaling beyond small portfolios (CH09-1).

The provided data lacks specific pricing information that differentiates between individual and company acquisition prices within each tier, thus preventing an analysis of their respective buying strategies based on price.

Institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties), likely company-owned, maintain a minimal footprint in the county, with only 3 properties attributed to this tier (from Section 8-1), reinforcing that this market is not dominated by large-scale corporate entities.

The distribution reveals that individual investors are primarily mom-and-pop operators, while companies are more likely to be involved in managing small to medium-sized portfolios (6+ properties) rather than large-scale institutional operations in this specific county.

Within Crawford County, investor-owned properties are heavily concentrated in specific zip codes, with MO-Crawford-65453 leading by count with 971 properties, representing 32.5% of its total SFR inventory. This makes it the primary hub for investor activity in the county.

MO-Crawford-65565 follows as a significant hub, with 642 investor-owned properties and a substantial ownership rate of 47.4%. MO-Crawford-65441 also shows considerable activity with 454 properties at a 32.7% investor ownership rate.

A stark contrast emerges when examining investor ownership by percentage: MO-Crawford-65586 stands out with an exceptionally high 88.9% investor ownership rate, suggesting a highly specialized or unique market segment, despite not appearing in the top 5 by absolute count.

Two zip codes, MO-Crawford-65565 and MO-Crawford-65441, appear in both the top 5 by count and the top 5 by percentage. This indicates that these areas not only have a high number of investor-owned properties but also a high penetration of investor ownership relative to their total SFR stock.

The provided data does not include average acquisition prices for these sub-geographies, preventing a comparison of pricing dynamics across different local markets within Crawford County.

The geographic distribution reveals distinct patterns of investor preference, with certain zip codes acting as magnets for investor capital, whether through sheer volume or high market penetration, highlighting concentrated areas of rental demand or favorable investment conditions.

Crawford County landlords, as a collective, maintained a strong net buyer position in Q4 2025, acquiring 49 properties while selling only 12, resulting in a net gain of 37 properties. This demonstrates a robust appetite for property accumulation (CH11-1a).

This net buying trend has been consistent throughout Year 2025 for all landlords, with a total of 209 buys against 31 sells, accumulating 178 properties over the year. Year 2024 also saw landlords as net buyers (167 buys vs 36 sells), indicating a sustained period of portfolio growth.

A significant divergence in strategy is observed with institutional investors (1000+ tier). For Year 2025, this tier was a net seller, divesting 2 properties while only acquiring 1, signaling a retreat or strategic portfolio adjustment in the Crawford County market (CH11-2a).

Looking at quarterly trends for all landlords, buy transactions peaked in Q3 2025 with 64 acquisitions, before slightly moderating to 49 in Q4. Sell transactions remained relatively low but saw a slight increase to 12 in Q4 compared to 7 in Q2 and Q3, suggesting some increased liquidity (CH11-1a).

The provided data does not include the percentage of landlord-to-landlord transactions, nor does it provide average buy and sell prices. This limits the ability to analyze internal market liquidity or implied profit margins from sales.

The contrasting behaviors between the broad landlord market (net buyers) and the institutional segment (net sellers) highlight a bifurcated market, where smaller, local investors continue to expand their holdings while larger entities might be optimizing or exiting the market.

In Q4 2025, landlords were significant participants in the Crawford County SFR market, involved in 49 of the total 132 transactions, which accounts for a substantial 37.1% of all market activity (CH12-1).

Single-property landlords (Tier 01) dominated transaction volumes, responsible for 35 transactions, far surpassing any other tier. Their average purchase price was $243,941 (CH12-2a, CH12-2b).

Institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) were entirely absent from Q4 transaction activity, recording 0 transactions, which further solidifies their minimal presence and divestment trend observed earlier.

Inter-landlord trading activity varied by tier: Tier 01 landlords acquired 6 of their 35 properties (17.1%) from other landlords. The small-medium tier (11-20 properties) showed the highest reliance on inter-landlord purchases, with 1 of their 4 transactions (25.0%) coming from other landlords.

Average purchase prices showed considerable variation among active tiers: Tier 01 purchased at $243,941, Tier 02 at $76,608, and Tier 06-10 at $154,983. Price data for Tier 03-05 and 11-20 transactions was not available (CH12-2b).

The lower average price for Tier 02 ($76,608) compared to Tier 01 ($243,941) suggests different market segments or property types being acquired by these very small-scale investors, or a focus on significantly distressed assets for Tier 02.

The strong activity from Tier 01 transactions aligns with their high representation in overall ownership, confirming that new and small landlords continue to drive both market structure and current transaction volumes in Crawford County.