Lawrence (MS) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Investors hold a significant 21.9% share of the Single-Family Residential market in Lawrence County, with a portfolio of 905 properties out of a total of 4,134.

The market is dominated by individual investors, who own 717 properties (79.2% of the investor portfolio), while companies own the remaining 207 properties (22.9%).

This individual dominance is also reflected in the landlord entity count, with 809 individual landlords making up the vast majority compared to just 195 company entities.

A striking financial characteristic of this market is the preference for cash ownership. An overwhelming 881 investor-owned properties are held free and clear, while only 24 properties are financed, indicating low leverage among local investors.

The rental focus is clear, with 884 of the 905 properties being rented, confirming the primary business model for investors in the area.

Analysis of acquisition pricing is not possible for Lawrence County, as there were no recorded SFR purchases by landlords in Q4 2025.

Consequently, a direct price comparison between landlords and traditional homeowners for the current quarter cannot be made.

Looking at historical data provides no further insight, as there were also zero properties acquired by landlords between 2020 and 2023 according to the available data.

This absence of purchasing activity over an extended period suggests a highly stable or stagnant investor market with very low turnover.

Without transaction data, it is impossible to determine price appreciation trends or whether a landlord discount exists in this market.

The investor purchase market in Lawrence County was completely dormant in Q4 2025, with landlords acquiring zero new SFR properties.

This lack of activity means investors accounted for 0.0% of the total 0 SFR purchases recorded in the county during the quarter.

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

The inactivity was universal across all investor sizes, with mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) and mid-size investors making no acquisitions.

Similarly, institutional investors (1000+ properties) were not a factor, recording zero purchases, which aligns with their overall absence in the county.

The investor landscape in Lawrence County is exclusively defined by small-scale operators. Mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) own a staggering 99.0% of all investor-held SFRs.

Single-property landlords are the bedrock of the market, with 719 properties accounting for 76.8% of the entire investor portfolio.

The next largest tiers are small landlords with 3-5 properties (10.0% share) and two-property owners (8.2% share), further cementing the dominance of small investors.

There is absolutely no presence from institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties), who own 0.0% of the market.

Due to the lack of recent purchasing activity, no meaningful analysis of acquisition prices by tier can be conducted.

Individual investors are the dominant force across every single investor tier in Lawrence County, with no crossover point where companies become the majority owners.

In the largest tier, single-property owners, individuals hold 559 properties (75.8%) compared to 178 for companies (24.2%).

This pattern continues up the scale; for example, in the 6-10 property tier, individuals own 31 homes (83.8%) versus just 6 for companies (16.2%).

Even in the 11-20 property tier, individuals own 8 of the 9 properties (88.9%).

The complete absence of institutional investors means there is no data to compare individual versus company ownership in the larger tiers.

Due to a lack of transactions, it's not possible to compare acquisition prices between individuals and companies within any tier.

Investor ownership in Lawrence County is geographically concentrated, with the top five zip codes accounting for the vast majority of the 905 investor-owned properties.

The zip code 39654 (Monticello) is the epicenter of investor activity, containing 405 investor-owned SFRs, which translates to a high ownership rate of 21.7%.

The highest penetration rate is in 39191 (Sontag), where investors own 42.1% of the SFR housing stock, despite having a smaller absolute number of properties.

Other key areas of concentration include 39663 (Silver Creek) with 214 investor properties (23.9% rate) and 39140 (Oma) with 109 properties (26.8% rate).

The zip code 39641 (New Hebron) has 101 investor-owned homes, representing a 16.7% ownership rate.

A comprehensive analysis of historical transaction trends is not possible for Lawrence County due to the absence of available data.

There are no records of buy or sell transactions for landlords across any of the analyzed timeframes, including Q4 2025, Q3 2025, or annually.

Consequently, key metrics such as the buy/sell ratio, which indicates whether landlords are net buyers or sellers, cannot be calculated.

It is also impossible to determine the level of inter-landlord activity, as the percentage of properties bought from or sold to other landlords is unknown.

Similarly, the data does not allow for a comparison of average buy prices versus sell prices to infer potential profit margins or market dynamics.

The investor transaction market in Lawrence County was entirely inactive in Q4 2025, with zero transactions involving landlords recorded.

This inactivity resulted in landlords having a 0.0% share of the total 0 SFR transactions that occurred during the quarter.

Transaction volumes were zero across all investor tiers, from single-property owners to the largest portfolios.

As a result of no purchases, there is no data on average purchase prices by tier, preventing any analysis of pricing strategies among different investor sizes.

Furthermore, with no recorded buys, the level of inter-landlord trading activity for the quarter was non-existent.