Anson (NC) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Investors hold a substantial footprint in Anson County, owning 2,521 single-family residential properties, which constitutes a significant 39.5% of the total 6,381 SFRs in the market.

The ownership landscape is overwhelmingly composed of small, individual investors rather than large corporations. Individuals own 2,158 properties, making up 85.6% of the investor portfolio, compared to just 378 properties (15.0%) owned by companies.

This individual dominance is also reflected in the landlord entity count, where 2,607 of the 2,858 total landlords (91.2%) are individuals, reinforcing the mom-and-pop character of the local rental market.

A key indicator of market stability is the low reliance on financing. A commanding 88.6% of investor-owned properties (2,233) are owned outright with cash, while only 288 properties are financed, suggesting high equity and low leverage among local landlords.

The portfolio's purpose is clear, with 2,495 of the 2,521 properties (99.0%) classified as non-owner-occupied, underscoring that these assets are actively part of the rental housing supply.

Landlords in Anson County consistently purchase properties at a lower price point than traditional homeowners. In Q4 2025, they paid an average of $165,806, representing an 11.8% discount compared to the homeowner average of $187,960.

This price advantage, while still significant, has been tightening throughout 2025. The 11.8% Q4 discount is the smallest of the year, contracting sharply from the massive 43.7% discount ($126,004) observed in Q1, which may indicate increased competition for available inventory.

The landlord purchase discount was substantial in every quarter of the year, averaging a 16.4% discount in Q3 and a 31.2% discount in Q2, demonstrating a sustained ability to acquire assets below the typical market rate.

Property values have shown strong growth since the pandemic-era housing boom. The average Q4 2025 landlord acquisition price of $165,806 is 26.6% higher than the average price of $130,959 recorded between 2020 and 2023.

Despite a lack of transactions listed for 2024, the year-over-year trend from 2024 to 2025 shows a significant price jump, with the annual average landlord acquisition price increasing from $167,985 in 2024 to $187,657 in 2025.

Investor activity surged in Q4 2025, with landlords acquiring 23 of the 50 single-family homes sold in Anson County, capturing a substantial 46.0% of the market's purchase volume.

The market's growth is fueled by new and small-scale investors. Nineteen new single-property landlords entered the market, purchasing 14 properties and accounting for 60.9% of all investor acquisitions this quarter.

Mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) were responsible for nearly all investor buying activity. This group collectively purchased 21 properties, representing 91.3% of the total landlord acquisitions in Q4.

While smaller landlords dominated, some larger, established players were also active. Two properties (8.7% of the total) were acquired by landlords in the 101-1,000 property tier, showing activity across the size spectrum.

Institutional investors with portfolios over 1,000 properties had no presence in the Q4 purchase market, making zero acquisitions and reinforcing that Anson County's activity is driven entirely by local and regional players.

The investor landscape in Anson County is unequivocally dominated by small-scale landlords. Mom-and-pop investors, defined as those owning 1-10 properties, control a staggering 97.2% of all investor-owned single-family homes.

The concentration at the smallest end of the market is profound. Single-property landlords (Tier 01) alone account for 1,986 properties, representing 76.4% of the entire investor-owned portfolio.

Combining the first two tiers, landlords with just one or two properties own a collective 2,205 homes, which is 84.8% of all investor-owned SFRs in the county.

In stark contrast to national headlines, institutional-scale investors (1,000+ properties) have no presence in Anson County, holding 0.0% of the investor-owned housing stock.

Even mid-size and large landlords are rare. Tiers representing owners with 11 to 1,000 properties collectively own just 73 homes, or less than 3% of the total investor portfolio, underscoring the hyper-local, small-investor nature of the market.

Individual investors are the primary owners in smaller portfolio tiers, demonstrating a clear pattern of grassroots ownership. They own 1,828 (91.5%) of single-property portfolios and 188 (85.8%) of two-property portfolios.

A distinct crossover point occurs in the 6-10 property tier, where companies become the majority owners for the first time. In this segment, companies own 50 properties (65.8%) compared to 26 properties (34.2%) held by individuals.

This trend suggests that as landlords scale their operations beyond five properties, they increasingly shift to a corporate structure, likely for liability protection and financial management purposes.

Even in the smallest tier, companies have a foothold, owning 170 single-property rentals (8.5%). This indicates a subset of investors who choose to incorporate their real estate activities from their very first purchase.

The share of individual ownership steadily declines as portfolio size grows, moving from 91.5% in Tier 01 down to 77.6% in the 3-5 property tier, before crossing the majority threshold in the subsequent tier.

Investor ownership in Anson County is geographically concentrated, with the 28170 zip code serving as the primary hub. This single area contains 1,379 investor-owned properties, 38.3% of its local SFR market.

While 28170 leads in raw volume, the 28007 zip code exhibits the most intense investor penetration. In this area, 72.0% of all single-family homes are owned by investors, making it a market predominantly composed of rental properties.

Several zip codes demonstrate both high volume and high penetration, indicating deeply established rental markets. This includes 28119 (319 properties, 52.6% rate) and 28091 (263 properties, 44.1% rate).

The top five zip codes by investor-owned property count together represent a significant portion of the county's total investor portfolio, highlighting key corridors of rental housing.

There is a clear distinction between volume and rate leadership. While 28170 has the most properties, its 38.3% investor rate is significantly lower than the rates in 28007 (72.0%) and 28119 (52.6%), revealing different market characteristics within the county.

Landlords in Anson County are actively expanding their portfolios, demonstrating strong market confidence. In Q4 2025, they were decisive net buyers, with 28 acquisitions against only 3 sales, resulting in a net gain of 25 properties.

This aggressive acquisition strategy is not a recent phenomenon. For the full year of 2025, landlords achieved a net gain of 80 properties (96 buys vs. 16 sells), continuing a pattern from 2024 when they added a net 66 properties.

The buy-to-sell ratio in Q4 was a powerful 9.3-to-1, indicating extremely low selling pressure and a high propensity to acquire and hold assets within the investor community.

Transaction velocity for acquisitions has remained stable throughout the year, with 28 buys in Q4 matching the 28 buys in Q3, suggesting consistent demand from investors.

Institutional investors are not a factor in the county's transaction market. Their only recorded activity was in 2024, with a single purchase and a single sale, indicating they are neither accumulating nor divesting assets in this area.

Investors played a crucial role in Q4 market liquidity, with landlord-involved transactions accounting for 28 of the 72 total SFR transactions, a share of 38.9%.

Transaction activity was heavily skewed towards the smallest investors. Landlords in the single-property tier conducted 19 of the 28 investor transactions (67.9%), highlighting the influx of new entrants driving the market.

A clear inverse correlation between portfolio size and purchase price was evident in Q4. New investors in Tier 01 paid the highest average price at $166,065, while more experienced landlords in the 6-10 property tier paid an average of just $90,000, suggesting they are finding more discounted opportunities.

Inter-landlord trading is minimal, especially for new market participants. Only 5.3% of properties (1 of 19) bought by single-property landlords came from another investor, indicating they are primarily acquiring homes from traditional homeowners.

The transaction data confirms the total absence of institutional buyers in Q4, with zero transactions recorded for investors in the 1,000+ property tier, solidifying the market's mom-and-pop character.