Meigs (TN) Investor Pulse Report (2025-Q4)

Landlords in Meigs County, TN own a substantial 1,173 Single Family Residential (SFR) properties, representing 38.1% of the total SFR market. This high penetration indicates a significant presence of investors in the local housing ecosystem, with nearly four out of ten SFR properties held for investment purposes.

Individual landlords overwhelmingly dominate the market, owning 1,080 properties, which accounts for 92.1% of all investor-owned SFR in the county. In stark contrast, companies hold only 97 properties, comprising 8.3% of the investor portfolio, challenging common perceptions of corporate investment dominance.

The vast majority of investor-owned properties in Meigs County, TN, totaling 1,167, are rented, indicating a strong focus on generating rental income. This nearly perfect rental rate of 99.5% of the investor portfolio underscores the primary business model of landlords in the region.

Investor purchases are heavily skewed towards cash transactions, with 909 properties (77.5%) acquired outright. This financial strength suggests a preference for minimizing debt or leveraging existing capital, significantly outpacing financed properties which account for 264 (22.5%) of holdings.

The individual-to-company split is even more pronounced when examining entity counts: 1,578 individual landlords versus only 83 company landlords. This 19-fold difference highlights the fragmented nature of the landlord market, predominantly composed of small-scale individual investors.

The relatively small number of company-owned properties (97) compared to company landlord entities (83) implies an average of just 1.17 properties per company, further solidifying the image of a market not dominated by large corporate portfolios. Conversely, individual landlords hold an average of 0.68 properties each, indicating many single-property owners.

The high percentage of non-owner-occupied properties (implied by the 99.5% rented rate) confirms that the investor-owned housing stock primarily serves the rental market, catering to residents who do not own their homes in Meigs County, TN.

Contrary to national trends often showing landlord discounts, investors in Meigs County, TN paid a significant premium in Q4 2025, acquiring properties for an average of $426,094. This represents a substantial $120,506 increase, or 39.4% more than the average price paid by traditional homeowners at $305,588.

The Q4 premium marks a dramatic shift from the previous quarter, where landlords secured a $36,771 discount (9.4%) compared to homeowners, paying $355,271 versus $392,042. This rapid change suggests dynamic market conditions or a change in acquisition strategy for landlords in Meigs County, TN.

Examining the quarterly trend reveals inconsistent pricing advantages: landlords paid a slight premium of $7,501 (2.2%) in Q2 2025 ($349,332 vs $341,831) and $11,603 (2.7%) in Q1 2025 ($439,333 vs $427,730). This volatility suggests that the landlord pricing position is highly reactive to specific market opportunities in Meigs County, TN.

The "0 properties" indicated for landlord acquisitions by timeframe in `section6-1.csv` is superseded by the `section7-1.csv` count of 8 landlord purchases in Q4 2025. This indicates that while average pricing data is available, the volume of reported acquisitions in specific timeframes for pricing may be incomplete or subject to reporting delays, making direct trend analysis on acquisition count by price challenging for these specific timeframes.

Despite the lack of explicit data on individual versus company acquisition prices, the overall trend suggests landlords in Meigs County, TN are sometimes willing to pay above market rates, particularly in Q4, potentially targeting specific property types or locations that command higher values or face less competition from traditional buyers.

Comparing acquisition prices from the pandemic era (Years 2020-2023) at an average of $305,562 to Q4 2025 prices at $426,094 shows a significant appreciation of $120,532, or 39.4%. This trend indicates strong asset value growth in Meigs County, TN, making previous acquisitions highly profitable for investors.

The significant price appreciation from 2020-2023 to Q4 2025, combined with fluctuating quarterly price gaps, suggests that while the market has seen substantial growth, the premium landlords are willing to pay may reflect increased competition or strategic plays for high-value assets in Meigs County, TN.

Landlords in Meigs County, TN were significant players in the Q4 2025 housing market, purchasing 8 SFR properties. This accounted for 25.8% of the total 31 SFR purchases in the county during the quarter, highlighting their active role despite the relatively low transaction volume.

The vast majority of Q4 landlord purchases came from mom-and-pop investors (Tiers 01-04), who acquired 7 properties. This demonstrates that smaller, local investors remain the primary drivers of landlord acquisition activity in Meigs County, TN, representing 87.5% of all landlord purchases.

Institutional investors (Tier 09) had minimal purchasing activity in Q4 2025, acquiring only 1 property, which constituted 12.5% of landlord purchases. This suggests that large-scale corporate entities are not significantly expanding their portfolios in Meigs County, TN during this period, or are focusing on very specific, limited opportunities.

Notably, 11 distinct entities classified as single-property landlords (Tier 01) entered the market, making 7 purchases in Q4. This influx of new, small-scale investors underscores the accessibility and appeal of the SFR market in Meigs County, TN to individuals looking to establish or expand their rental portfolios.

The average properties per entity by tier in Q4 shows that single-property landlords, despite being 11 entities, collectively bought 7 properties, implying some individual buyers made multiple purchases within the quarter or multiple entities were involved in single property acquisitions. Institutional investors, with 1 entity and 1 property, show a one-to-one acquisition for the quarter.

Comparing the Q4 purchase data to overall ownership distribution in Meigs County, TN suggests consistency: single-property investors (Tier 01) dominate both existing holdings and new acquisitions. This reinforces the idea that the market's structure is largely maintained by individual, smaller-scale activity.

The concentration of Q4 activity within Tier 01, representing 87.5% of landlord purchases, clearly identifies this segment as the most dynamic in terms of new investment. This contrasts sharply with the minimal presence of larger institutional buyers, further emphasizing the local, individual-driven investment landscape.

Mom-and-pop landlords, encompassing Tiers 01-04, exert overwhelming control over the investor-owned SFR market in Meigs County, TN, holding 1,157 properties, which accounts for 97.6% of the total landlord portfolio. This indicates a highly localized and fragmented ownership structure.

The backbone of this market is the single-property landlord (Tier 01), who alone controls 1,098 properties, representing 92.7% of all investor-owned SFR. This concentration highlights the prevalence of first-time or small-scale investors as the primary drivers of the rental market in the county.

In stark contrast to the mom-and-pop dominance, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) have a minimal footprint in Meigs County, TN, owning just 3 properties. This represents only 0.3% of the total investor-owned SFR, significantly less than what media narratives often suggest for larger markets.

While specific acquisition prices by tier are not directly provided for overall ownership, Q4 transaction data from Section 12 shows a notable price disparity: single-property buyers paid an average of $445,727, whereas institutional buyers paid $210,125. This suggests mom-and-pop investors might be acquiring different types of properties or facing less negotiating power than larger entities.

The total count of entities across all tiers is not explicitly provided in this section; however, combining data with Section 7 and 9, the market is characterized by a high number of individual entities, reinforcing the small-scale nature of ownership across the tiers. For instance, Tier 01 alone accounts for a significant portion of individual entities in the county.

The average portfolio size per entity varies significantly across tiers, by definition. However, for a tier like 01, having 1,098 properties owned by many distinct entities (seen in section 5 data, 1,578 individual landlords) means the average is less than 1 property per individual landlord (though some may own multiple in other tiers), reinforcing the mom-and-pop scale.

There is no specific data provided in this section to track how tier distribution has evolved over time (All Time vs recent quarters). However, the consistent dominance of mom-and-pop ownership in both overall holdings and Q4 purchases (from Section 7) suggests a stable, small-investor driven market structure in Meigs County, TN.

Individual investors overwhelmingly dominate the smaller portfolio tiers in Meigs County, TN, particularly in the single-property (Tier 01) segment, where they own 1,041 properties, accounting for 94.6% of the holdings. This reinforces the prevalence of local, individual-driven investment at the entry level.

As portfolio sizes increase, the share of company ownership gradually rises, yet companies do not achieve a clear majority in any of the tiers for which data is provided. Instead, an equal split of 50.0% individual and 50.0% company ownership is observed in both the 6-10 property tier (2 properties each) and the 51-100 property tier (1 property each).

For the two-property tier (Tier 02), individual investors maintain a strong majority, owning 39 properties (92.9%) compared to companies' 3 properties (7.1%). This pattern suggests that even for slightly larger portfolios, the market in Meigs County, TN remains largely in the hands of private individuals.

Similarly, in the 3-5 property tier (Tier 03), individuals still hold a majority with 7 properties (53.8%), while companies own 6 properties (46.2%). This tier represents the closest balance before hitting the 50/50 splits, highlighting a gradual shift in ownership composition as portfolios grow.

Due to the lack of specific pricing data by owner type within each tier, it is not possible to determine if individual or company landlords pay different prices at the tier level. The data focuses solely on property counts and ownership distribution across these segments in Meigs County, TN.

While the institutional tier (1000+ properties) is not broken down by owner type in this section, we know from Section 8 that it comprises 3 properties in total. Given the company ownership trends in other tiers, it's plausible that these larger portfolios would lean towards company ownership, though specific data is not available here.

The available data does not provide historical or comparative growth patterns by owner type (all-time vs Q4), making it challenging to assess which ownership type is expanding more rapidly within Meigs County, TN. However, the current distribution clearly favors individual investors in the vast majority of portfolio sizes.

Investor-owned properties in Meigs County, TN exhibit significant geographic concentration, with zip code 37322 leading by a wide margin. This area accounts for 640 investor-owned SFR properties, holding 34.8% of its total SFR inventory, making it the primary hotspot for investment activity.

Following 37322, zip code 37880 stands out with 330 investor-owned properties and a high ownership rate of 47.5%, indicating a dense investor presence. Zip code 37308 also shows considerable activity with 115 investor-owned properties and a 46.0% ownership rate, positioning these areas as key investment zones.

While 37322, 37880, and 37308 lead in absolute property counts, zip code 37846 holds the highest investor ownership rate at 100.0%. This extreme percentage suggests a niche area where all SFR properties are investor-owned, potentially due to a very small total housing stock or specific development patterns.

The top five sub-geographies by count — 37322, 37880, 37308, 37336, and 37826 — collectively represent the bulk of investor-owned SFR properties in Meigs County, TN, demonstrating that investment activity is not evenly distributed but focused on specific local markets.

There is a notable correlation between high property counts and high ownership percentages in several zip codes. For instance, 37880 and 37308 appear in the top rankings for both metrics, indicating areas where many properties are investor-owned, and a high proportion of the total housing stock is under investor control.

The available data does not provide specific acquisition prices for each geographic region, making it difficult to analyze how pricing strategies vary across these sub-markets. However, the varying ownership rates suggest different market dynamics and investor competition levels in Meigs County, TN.

The number of landlord entities operating in each top region is not explicitly broken down in this section, but given the overall dominance of individual landlords in Meigs County, TN, it is likely that these concentrated areas are home to a high density of mom-and-pop investors rather than large corporate entities.

Landlords in Meigs County, TN have consistently maintained a strong net buyer position throughout 2024 and 2025, signaling ongoing expansion of their rental portfolios. In Q4 2025, they were particularly aggressive, recording 12 purchases against only 1 sale, resulting in a remarkable 12.0x buy/sell ratio.

The annual trend for 2025 shows landlords accumulating 39 properties (46 buys vs 7 sells), with an impressive 6.57x buy/sell ratio. This sustained net buying activity suggests confidence in the Meigs County, TN market and continued demand for rental properties.

Looking back at 2024, landlord activity was even more pronounced, with 61 properties purchased against 7 sold, achieving a net increase of 54 properties and a robust 8.71x buy/sell ratio. This consistent accumulation pattern over two years highlights a long-term strategy of growth for investors in the county.

Quarter-over-quarter, the buy/sell ratio has varied, showcasing dynamic market engagement. After a 3.25x ratio in Q3 (13 buys vs 4 sells) and 8.0x in Q2 (16 buys vs 2 sells), the sharp increase to 12.0x in Q4 suggests either fewer selling opportunities or a heightened focus on acquisition during the latest quarter.

The data unfortunately does not provide information on the percentage of buy or sell transactions involving other landlords, limiting insights into inter-landlord trading activity or market liquidity from this perspective in Meigs County, TN.

Crucially, there is no available data for institutional investor (1000+ tier) transactions in Meigs County, TN within this section. This absence prevents a direct comparison of large-scale corporate investor behavior against the overall landlord market or the identification of their net buyer/seller position.

While average buy and sell prices are typically important for analyzing implied profit margins, this specific data snapshot for Meigs County, TN does not include them in the historical transactions section, thereby limiting analysis of price dynamics within landlord transactions over time.

Landlords in Meigs County, TN were actively engaged in Q4 2025, participating in 12 of the 50 total SFR transactions, which represents 24.0% of the market activity. This level of participation underscores their continued influence in the local real estate landscape.

The transaction volume for mom-and-pop landlords (Tier 01-04) far exceeded that of institutional investors (Tier 09). Small-scale landlords completed 11 transactions, while institutional players accounted for only 1 transaction, aligning with the overall ownership distribution in Meigs County, TN.

A significant price disparity emerged between investor tiers in Q4 2025. Single-property landlords (Tier 01) paid an average of $445,727 per acquisition, whereas the sole institutional transaction was secured at an average price of $210,125, representing a 52.9% discount for the larger investor.

This substantial price difference suggests institutional investors in Meigs County, TN may be targeting distressed properties, off-market deals, or less desirable assets that command lower prices. Conversely, mom-and-pop landlords might be competing for a different segment of the market, potentially involving higher-value or more move-in ready homes.

Both single-property landlords and institutional investors recorded 0.0% of their Q4 purchases as being bought from other landlords. This indicates a minimal level of inter-landlord trading activity in the last quarter, with investors primarily acquiring properties from non-landlord sellers in Meigs County, TN.

The price spread between the highest ($445,727 for Tier 01) and lowest ($210,125 for Tier 09) average purchase price by tier is $235,602. This substantial difference highlights diverse investment strategies and target property segments across different investor sizes in Meigs County, TN.

The activity levels in Q4 transactions (11 for mom-and-pop, 1 for institutional) largely mirrors the overall ownership distribution by tier in Meigs County, TN (97.6% mom-and-pop, 0.3% institutional), reinforcing that the market continues to be shaped predominantly by smaller investors.