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

Landlords in Linn County, MO, control a substantial 1,184 SFR properties, accounting for 31.1% of the county's total SFR market of 3,811 properties. This indicates a significant presence of investment capital in the local housing market.

Individual investors overwhelmingly dominate the landlord landscape, owning 1,014 properties which represents 85.6% of all investor-owned SFR. In stark contrast, companies hold only 174 properties, or 14.7% of the total investor-owned portfolio, challenging narratives of corporate landlord control in this region.

The portfolio is heavily rental-focused, with 1,165 properties (98.4%) currently rented, underscoring the primary business model of these investors. This high proportion highlights the role of landlords in providing rental housing in Linn County.

Cash acquisitions are prevalent among Linn County investors, with 965 properties (81.5%) purchased without financing. This high cash purchase rate suggests strong financial backing and potentially quicker transaction closures for investor activity.

The ratio of individual to company landlords further reinforces individual dominance, with 1,181 individual landlords compared to just 99 company landlords. This translates to individuals making up 92.3% of all landlord entities, while companies represent a mere 7.7%.

Despite individual investors holding a large majority, company landlords on average manage slightly larger portfolios (1.76 properties per entity) compared to individual landlords (0.86 properties per entity), indicating a tendency for companies to own more than one property when present.

Linn County's real estate market exhibited significant price volatility, with landlord acquisition prices fluctuating dramatically against homeowner prices in 2025. In Q3 2025, landlords secured properties at an average of $151,846, which was $113,365 (42.7%) less than the $265,211 paid by traditional homeowners.

This substantial Q3 discount contrasts sharply with Q1 2025, where landlords paid a premium of $43,954 (41.9%) at an average of $148,935 compared to homeowner prices of $104,981. Such swings indicate a highly dynamic and inconsistent pricing environment.

While Q4 2025 data for homeowner prices is not available for direct comparison, landlord acquisition prices averaged $224,313, based on 2 properties purchased. This higher average suggests potential market shifts or unique property acquisitions during the quarter.

Longer-term trends reveal a consistent appreciation in landlord acquisition prices. The average price rose from $156,446 during the 2020-2023 period to $163,490 in 2024, and further to $171,453 in 2025. This indicates an overall upward trajectory in property values for investors in Linn County.

The total price appreciation from the pandemic-era (2020-2023) to 2025 stands at $15,007, representing a 9.6% increase. This sustained growth suggests a healthy return environment for long-term investors in the region.

Landlords were the exclusive buyers of single-family residential properties in Linn County during Q4 2025, accounting for 100.0% of the 2 total SFR purchases. This highlights a market entirely driven by investor activity in the current quarter.

All Q4 landlord purchases, totaling 2 properties, were made by single-property landlords (Tier 01). This indicates a significant influx of new or first-time investors entering the Linn County market during this period.

Mom-and-pop landlords, encompassing Tiers 01-04, were responsible for 100.0% of all landlord purchases in Q4 2025. This reinforces their dominant role in current market activity and acquisition trends.

In contrast, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) made no purchases in Linn County during Q4 2025, representing 0.0% of landlord acquisition activity. Their complete absence underscores the local, grassroots nature of the investment market.

The two entities that purchased single properties in Q4 signify two new landlords entering the market, adding to the ranks of smaller-scale investors in Linn County. This consistent entry of new individual investors maintains the market's mom-and-pop character.

The ownership landscape of investor-owned SFR in Linn County is overwhelmingly dominated by mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04), who collectively control 94.3% of the total portfolio. This concentration highlights a market primarily composed of smaller, local investors.

Single-property landlords (Tier 01) form the backbone of this market, holding 874 properties, which represents a substantial 71.4% of all investor-owned SFR. Their significant share underscores the prevalence of individuals entering the rental market with a single investment.

Further reinforcing the mom-and-pop trend, landlords owning between 2 and 10 properties (Tiers 02-04) collectively account for another 22.9% of the market. This group comprises 79 two-property landlords (6.5%), 118 small landlords with 3-5 properties (9.6%), and 83 small landlords with 6-10 properties (6.8%).

Mid-size landlords (Tiers 05-08, 11-1000 properties) hold a comparatively small portion of the market, with Tiers 05 (11-20 properties) and Tiers 06 (21-50 properties) owning 2.5% (31 properties) and 3.2% (39 properties) respectively. No data is provided for larger mid-size tiers (51-1000).

Notably, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) have no footprint in Linn County, controlling 0.0% of investor-owned SFR. This absence differentiates Linn County from larger, more liquid markets often targeted by institutional capital.

The distribution reveals a deeply fragmented market where small-scale investors are the primary drivers of rental housing provision. The focus remains on smaller portfolios, with the largest listed tier (21-50 properties) still representing only 3.2% of the total investor-owned stock.

Individual investors maintain a dominant position across all listed landlord tiers in Linn County, consistently holding the majority share of properties. This pattern indicates that the market is primarily driven by individual wealth and investment strategies.

In the foundational Single-property (Tier 01) category, individual investors own 805 properties (91.7%), while companies hold only 73 properties (8.3%). This trend continues into slightly larger portfolios, with Two-property (Tier 02) ownership at 81.0% individual and 19.0% company.

The pattern of individual dominance persists through the small landlord tiers: in the 3-5 property tier, individuals own 88.1% versus 11.9% for companies, and in the 6-10 property tier, individuals hold 74.7% compared to 25.3% for companies.

Even within the larger small-medium tier of 11-20 properties, individual investors still retain the majority, owning 61.3% of properties while companies account for 38.7%. This tier represents the highest concentration of company ownership in the provided data, yet it falls short of a majority.

There is no discernible crossover point where company ownership surpasses individual ownership in any of the analyzed tiers within Linn County. This clearly distinguishes Linn County's investor market as fundamentally grassroots and individual-driven, with minimal large-scale corporate influence.

Within Linn County, the zip code MO-Linn-64628 stands out as the primary hub for investor activity, boasting 637 landlord-owned properties. This represents a substantial 32.1% of the total SFR properties within that specific sub-geography, making it a critical area for rental housing.

Another significant pocket of investor concentration is MO-Linn-64658, which contains 267 landlord-owned properties. With 28.9% of its SFR market held by investors, this zip code also demonstrates a robust level of landlord engagement.

While MO-Linn-64628 leads by sheer volume, the zip code MO-Linn-64630 exhibits the highest investor ownership rate in the county, with 43.5% of its SFR properties controlled by landlords. This signifies a particularly deep penetration of investment properties within that specific local market.

Following closely in terms of penetration, MO-Linn-63566 and MO-Linn-64651 report investor ownership rates of 40.0% and 39.8% respectively. These high percentages indicate areas where a substantial portion of the housing stock serves as rental units.

The data reveals a strong correlation between high property counts and high ownership percentages among Linn County's top sub-geographies. This suggests that landlord activity is not only concentrated in certain areas but also forms a significant part of the housing supply in those specific local markets.

The presence of 'nan' values for some zip codes in both top count and top percentage lists indicates data limitations for those specific sub-geographies, preventing a complete comprehensive geographic overview of Linn County's investor landscape.

Landlords in Linn County, MO, have consistently been net buyers, demonstrating a strong accumulation trend throughout 2024 and 2025. This indicates sustained confidence and investment in the local SFR market.

In 2025, landlords acquired 74 properties while selling only 14, resulting in a net increase of 60 properties in their portfolios. This represents a significant buy/sell ratio of 5.29x, showcasing robust growth in investor holdings.

The previous year, 2024, also showed substantial net buying, with landlords purchasing 112 properties and selling 21. This resulted in a net gain of 91 properties and an even higher buy/sell ratio of 5.33x, highlighting a consistent pattern of expansion.

Quarterly data for 2025 further supports this trend: Q3 saw 21 buys against 7 sells (net 14), and Q2 recorded 25 buys against just 2 sells (net 23). This sustained buying across multiple periods underscores the market's attractiveness to landlords.

The consistent net-buyer status across all reported timeframes suggests that Linn County remains a favorable market for real estate investment and property accumulation. This contrasts with markets where investors might be divesting.

It is important to note that transaction data for institutional investors (1000+ properties tier) is not provided in the dataset, limiting insights into their specific market behavior.

In Q4 2025, landlords in Linn County accounted for 100.0% of all SFR transactions, participating in both of the 2 total transactions recorded. This highlights a quarter exclusively dominated by investor-driven activity in the very limited market.

All Q4 landlord transactions were attributable to single-property landlords (Tier 01), who purchased 2 properties. This indicates that new or small-scale investors were the sole active participants among landlords during this period.

The average purchase price for these Tier 01 landlords in Q4 was $224,313. This price point reflects the typical acquisition cost for new or small investors entering the Linn County market during the quarter.

Notably, there were no transactions from institutional investors (Tier 09) in Q4 2025, with their activity at 0 properties and an average price of $0. This reinforces the local and non-institutional nature of Linn County's investment market.

The analysis also reveals that 0.0% of the single-property landlord purchases in Q4 were bought from other landlords, suggesting that these properties were acquired from traditional homeowners or other non-landlord sellers.

The overall transaction volume for Q4 was extremely low at only 2 properties, making any trends highly susceptible to individual transaction outliers. However, the data clearly points to the exclusive involvement of mom-and-pop landlords.