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

Investors hold a significant 29.3% of the single-family residential market in Sampson County, with a total portfolio of 4,845 properties.

The ownership landscape is overwhelmingly dominated by 4,905 individual landlords who own 4,344 properties, making up 89.7% of the investor-held housing stock. In contrast, 375 company investors own just 535 properties (11.0%).

A defining characteristic of this market is the preference for all-cash acquisitions, with 4,313 properties owned outright compared to only 532 that are financed. This 8-to-1 cash-to-financed ratio highlights a well-capitalized investor base less sensitive to interest rate fluctuations.

The portfolio is clearly geared towards generating rental income, as 4,764 of the 4,845 properties (98.3%) are non-owner-occupied, confirming their role as housing providers in the rental market.

The data reveals a market built on grassroots investment, where the typical investor is an individual, likely local, who pays with cash and operates a rental business.

Investors in Sampson County demonstrate a powerful pricing advantage, acquiring properties in Q4 2025 for an average of $152,845, which is 37.9% less than the $246,257 paid by traditional homeowners.

This equates to a substantial average discount of $93,412 per property, indicating a sophisticated ability to find undervalued assets or off-market deals not accessible to the general public.

This trend is not an anomaly; the landlord discount remained consistently high throughout the year, registering 32.4% in Q3 ($83,347) and an astounding 47.6% in Q2 ($139,643).

Despite securing deep discounts, the value of assets acquired by investors has grown significantly. The average Q4 2025 purchase price of $152,845 represents a 19.9% increase over the average price of $127,506 during the 2020-2023 period.

The data consistently shows that landlords operate with a significant cost advantage, allowing for stronger returns and greater resilience against market shifts compared to typical homebuyers.

Investor activity accounted for a substantial portion of the market in Q4 2025, with landlords purchasing 49 of the 133 total SFRs sold, a market share of 36.8%.

The acquisition activity was almost entirely driven by small-scale investors. Mom-and-pop landlords (owning 1-10 properties) acquired 44 of the 49 properties, representing 89.8% of all landlord purchases.

In a clear sign of grassroots market expansion, 46 new single-property landlord entities entered the market, acquiring 31 properties. This highlights a dynamic and accessible entry point for new investors.

Conversely, institutional investors (1,000+ properties) had no purchasing activity, with 0 properties acquired in Q4. Their absence underscores that the market's growth is fueled by smaller, independent operators.

The data paints a picture of a Q4 market where nearly four in ten homes were sold to an investor, and nine out of ten of those investors were small, local operators, many of whom were just starting their portfolios.

The investor landscape in Sampson County is unequivocally dominated by small-scale landlords. Those owning 1-10 properties (Tiers 01-04) collectively hold 97.6% of all investor-owned single-family homes.

This concentration at the small end of the market directly counters the narrative of large-scale corporate ownership. Single-property landlords alone (Tier 01) own 3,822 properties, which accounts for 77.1% of the total investor portfolio.

The next two tiers, two-property landlords and those with 3-5 properties, own 8.9% and 9.6% of the market respectively, further solidifying the control of small operators.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) have a negligible footprint, owning just 7 properties, or 0.1% of the total investor portfolio.

This distribution reveals a highly fragmented and decentralized market structure, where the collective power of thousands of individual investors, not a handful of large corporations, shapes the rental landscape.

Individual investors form the bedrock of the Sampson County market, overwhelmingly dominating smaller portfolio tiers. For single-property landlords, individuals own 93.5% of the homes.

This individual dominance continues through the small landlord tiers, with individuals owning 86.5% of two-property portfolios and 82.2% of portfolios with 3-5 properties.

A distinct transition occurs as portfolios grow. The balance of power shifts in the 11-20 property tier, where companies own 39 properties (69.6%) compared to just 17 owned by individuals (30.4%).

This crossover point indicates that as investors scale their operations beyond 10 properties, they increasingly adopt formal corporate structures for liability, financing, or management purposes.

While individuals drive market entry and small-scale investment, company structures are the preferred vehicle for building mid-sized and larger rental portfolios in the region.

Investor ownership in Sampson County is highly concentrated geographically, with the 28328 zip code serving as the primary hub, containing 2,053 investor-owned properties.

This single zip code accounts for a remarkable 42.4% of all investor-owned SFRs in the entire county, with an ownership rate of 28.4%.

Interestingly, the areas with the highest investor penetration rates are different from the volume leader. The 28466 zip code leads with a 42.9% investor ownership rate, followed by 28444 (41.3%) and 28441 (39.9%).

This distinction reveals different market dynamics: 28328 is a large, high-volume market for investors, while other smaller zip codes represent highly saturated rental markets where investors own more than two out of every five homes.

The top five zip codes by investor property count (28328, 28382, 28334, 28385, 28366) collectively hold 3,686 properties, representing 76.1% of all investor activity in the county, showcasing significant regional concentration.

Landlords in Sampson County are in a strong accumulation phase, consistently buying far more properties than they sell. In Q4 2025, they purchased 66 properties while selling only 16, resulting in a net gain of 50 properties.

This buy-to-sell ratio of 4.1 to 1 demonstrates significant confidence in the local market and a clear strategy of portfolio expansion.

This behavior is not a recent development but a sustained, multi-year trend. For the full year of 2025, investors bought 259 properties and sold 76 (a 3.4x ratio). In 2024, the trend was even stronger, with 203 buys versus 42 sells (a 4.8x ratio).

The consistent net positive acquisition activity signals a stable and growing demand for rental housing in the county, which landlords are actively moving to supply.

The complete absence of transaction data for institutional-level investors further reinforces that this market's transactional velocity and growth are driven entirely by smaller, non-institutional players.

In Q4 2025, investors were a driving force in market liquidity, participating in 66 of the 215 total SFR transactions, a share of 30.7%.

The bulk of this activity came from the smallest investors, with single-property landlords (Tier 01) alone accounting for 47 of the 66 landlord transactions (71.2%).

A notable pattern emerged in acquisition strategy: purchase price correlates strongly with investor size. Single-property landlords paid an average of $162,318, while large landlords (101-1000 properties) acquired assets at a much higher average price of $279,950.

This suggests larger investors target higher-value properties, while new entrants focus on more affordable entry points into the market.

The market shows signs of internal liquidity, with new landlords acquiring a significant portion of their inventory from established players. Of the 47 properties bought by Tier 01 investors, 10 (21.3%) were purchased from another landlord, indicating a fluid transfer of assets within the investor community.