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

Landlords in Daviess County, MO, control a significant portion of the Single Family Residential (SFR) market, owning 1,142 properties, which represents a substantial 36.9% of the total SFR properties available in the county.

Individual landlords are the backbone of this investor market, holding 897 (78.5%) of all landlord-owned SFR properties, significantly outweighing the 282 (24.7%) held by companies and challenging narratives of corporate dominance.

The ownership structure is further solidified by the entity count, with individual landlords making up 1,274 of the 1,505 total landlords, demonstrating that 84.7% of all landlord entities are individuals.

A strong preference for cash transactions is evident within landlord portfolios, with 940 properties (82.3%) being cash-acquired compared to just 202 (17.7%) financed properties, suggesting a conservative investment strategy.

The overwhelming majority of landlord-owned properties are income-generating rentals, as 1,126 properties are rented, reflecting the core business model of investors in Daviess County.

Though individual landlords hold 78.5% of properties, company landlords maintain a notable 24.7% share, highlighting a diverse, albeit individual-dominated, ownership landscape.

In a striking reversal of typical market trends, landlords in Daviess County consistently paid a premium over traditional homeowners in Q4 2025, with an average acquisition price of $503,301 compared to homeowner prices of $350,782, representing a substantial $152,519 (43.5%) premium.

This landlord premium is not an isolated event, as Q3 2025 saw landlords pay a $119,753 (46.7%) premium, and Q1 2025 an extraordinary $318,526 (219.0%) premium, indicating a unique market dynamic where investors outbid traditional buyers.

The only quarter where landlords secured a discount was Q2 2025, paying $150,846, which was $197,946 (56.8%) less than homeowners at $348,792, showcasing high volatility in pricing trends throughout the year.

Landlord acquisition activity has been minimal, with no distinct properties recorded as acquired by landlords in any quarter of 2025 or 2024, or even during the 2020-2023 period, according to acquisition by timeframe data, making the quoted average prices reflect a very limited number of transactions in some instances.

Despite the lack of recorded distinct acquisitions, the listed average prices for Years 2020-2023 at $247,155 and Year 2024 at $310,718 suggest a notable increase in market value, culminating in the higher prices observed in 2025, even if landlord activity was sporadic.

The significant price appreciation from the 2020-2023 average of $247,155 to the Q4 2025 landlord average of $503,301 indicates a rapid increase in property values over recent years, effectively doubling the acquisition cost for investors.

The erratic nature of the landlord-homeowner price gap—swinging from premiums of 219.0% to discounts of 56.8%—signals an unpredictable market where investor pricing strategies vary wildly quarter-over-quarter.

Landlords claimed a substantial share of the Daviess County SFR market in Q4 2025, purchasing 27 properties which represented 50.9% of all 53 total SFR purchases, indicating a robust investor presence in the quarter.

All landlord purchasing activity in Q4 2025 originated from mom-and-pop investors (Tiers 01-04), who acquired 27 properties, highlighting the absolute dominance of small-scale landlords in this market's recent acquisitions.

Single-property landlords (Tier 01) were the most active segment, securing 16 properties, which accounted for 59.3% of all landlord Q4 purchases, driven by 21 unique entities entering or expanding their portfolios.

Two-property landlords (Tier 02) followed with 7 properties (25.9%) purchased by 7 entities, demonstrating continued engagement from slightly more established small landlords.

Small landlords in the 3-5 property tier contributed 4 properties (14.8%) through 5 entities, rounding out the entirely mom-and-pop-driven Q4 acquisition landscape in Daviess County.

The complete absence of institutional investor (Tier 09) purchases underscores that Daviess County's investor market remains firmly in the hands of smaller, local landlords.

The ratio of properties to entities in Q4 purchases, particularly for single-property landlords (16 properties by 21 entities), suggests that many entities are likely new entrants acquiring their first rental property.

Mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04) exert near-total control over the investor-owned SFR market in Daviess County, holding an impressive 97.1% of all properties, totaling 1,142 investor-owned SFR units.

The backbone of this market is the single-property landlord (Tier 01), who collectively own 929 properties, representing a dominant 79.2% of the entire landlord-owned SFR portfolio.

The presence of institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) is negligible, with only 1 property (0.1%) recorded, underscoring that large corporate entities have minimal footprint in this county.

Beyond single-property owners, two-property landlords (Tier 02) contribute 92 properties (7.8%) and small landlords (3-5 properties) hold 90 properties (7.7%), showing a consistent pattern of small-scale investment.

Even the mid-size landlord tiers remain relatively small, with 6-10 property landlords holding 28 properties (2.4%) and 11-20 property landlords holding 32 properties (2.7%), further reinforcing the market's mom-and-pop nature.

The distribution of ownership highlights a highly decentralized investor market, with no significant concentration in larger portfolio sizes, diverging sharply from trends seen in more urban or institutionalized markets.

The extreme dominance of Tier 01-04 demonstrates that the majority of rental housing supply in Daviess County is managed by individual, local owners rather than large investment firms.

While individual investors predominantly own smaller portfolios in Daviess County, there is a clear shift towards company ownership in larger tiers, with companies becoming the majority owner type starting at the 11-20 property tier.

Individual landlords strongly dominate the entry-level market, holding 758 properties (79.7%) in the single-property (Tier 01) category and 69 properties (73.4%) in the two-property (Tier 02) segment, reinforcing their critical role in smaller portfolio sizes.

The crossover point occurs in the Small-medium (11-20 properties) tier, where companies own 32 properties (71.1%) compared to individuals who hold 13 properties (28.9%), indicating a strategic shift towards corporate structures for managing larger portfolios.

For small landlords (3-5 properties), individuals maintain a strong majority with 67 properties (74.4%) versus companies at 23 properties (25.6%), illustrating that the individual landlord model remains prevalent across many small tiers.

Even in the 6-10 property tier, individual ownership remains robust, with 21 properties (75.0%) compared to companies with 7 properties (25.0%), showcasing that companies gradually increase their share as portfolio size grows.

This pattern suggests that individual investors prefer to manage a few properties, while the operational complexities or financial structures of larger portfolios (11+ properties) are more often handled by company entities.

The data underscores a tiered market where individual agility and local knowledge likely drive smaller portfolios, while corporate structures provide the scalability for larger, albeit still mid-sized in this county, investment portfolios.

Within Daviess County, the ZIP code MO-Daviess-64640 stands out with the highest number of investor-owned properties, totaling 542 units, reflecting a significant concentration of landlord activity in this specific area.

MO-Daviess-64640 also exhibits a high investor ownership rate of 38.8%, placing it as a key region for landlord investment in the county, alongside other highly penetrated areas.

The ZIP code MO-Daviess-64654 boasts the highest investor ownership rate at 100.0%, suggesting a niche market entirely composed of investor-owned properties, even if its total property count is not provided.

MO-Daviess-64620 shows a strong correlation between high count and high percentage, with 108 investor-owned properties and a substantial 51.9% ownership rate, indicating a market where over half of all SFRs are held by landlords.

Other notable regions by count include MO-Daviess-64648 with 170 investor-owned properties (31.9% rate) and MO-Daviess-64670 with 86 properties (33.1% rate), further highlighting areas of significant investor interest.

The concentration of investor activity points to specific micro-markets within Daviess County that are particularly attractive to landlords, potentially due to rental demand, property values, or other local factors.

While MO-Daviess-64601 is listed, its property data is 'nan', preventing an accurate assessment of its investor-owned count or rate, and requiring focus on areas with complete data for robust analysis.

Landlords in Daviess County are clearly in an accumulation phase, exhibiting a strong net buyer position in Q4 2025 with 36 buy transactions against only 10 sell transactions, resulting in a healthy 3.6x buy-to-sell ratio.

This net buyer trend is consistent across the entire year, as landlords made 155 purchases compared to 22 sales in Year 2025, demonstrating an ongoing strategy of portfolio expansion within the county.

Historical data reinforces this pattern, with Year 2024 also showing landlords as aggressive net buyers, completing 153 purchases against just 15 sales, further highlighting sustained growth in investor holdings.

Quarter-over-quarter analysis reveals significant buying momentum, with Q3 2025 recording 49 buys against only 3 sells, signifying periods of intense acquisition activity by landlords.

The complete absence of transaction data for institutional investors (1000+ tier) in Daviess County suggests that large-scale corporate buying and selling is not a factor in this local market, which remains dominated by smaller players.

The consistent net buying indicates a stable or growing confidence among landlords in the Daviess County market, signaling positive outlooks for rental demand or property value appreciation.

While average buy and sell prices are not provided for all landlords in this section, the sheer volume difference between buys and sells points to an expanding inventory under landlord ownership.

Landlords played a dominant role in the Daviess County housing market during Q4 2025, participating in 36 transactions, which represented a significant 42.4% of the total 85 SFR transactions recorded in the quarter.

Single-property landlords (Tier 01) were the primary drivers of this activity, accounting for 21 transactions, showcasing their considerable influence on the quarter's market dynamics.

Notably, Tier 01 landlords paid the highest average purchase price in Q4, at $705,964, indicating a willingness of new or small landlords to invest substantially in individual properties.

Inter-landlord trading activity was observed, with 3 of the 21 Tier 01 transactions (14.3%) and 1 of the 10 Tier 02 transactions (10.0%) involving purchases from other landlords, suggesting some internal market liquidity.

The entirety of landlord transaction volume (36 transactions) originated from mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04), with zero transactions from institutional investors (Tier 09), emphasizing the small-scale nature of the Daviess County market.

Small landlord (3-5 properties) transactions registered an average price of $295,360, significantly lower than Tier 01, which suggests differing acquisition strategies or property types favored by various small tiers.

The contrast between Tier 01's high average price and the lower prices in other mom-and-pop tiers indicates a fragmented market where individual transaction values can vary widely depending on the investor's portfolio size and objectives.