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

Investor-owned SFR properties in Trousdale County total 614, representing a substantial 25.3% of the overall 2,431 SFR properties in the market. This indicates a significant and concentrated investor presence in the local housing landscape.

Individual investors overwhelmingly dominate the Trousdale County SFR rental market, holding 566 properties (92.2%) compared to companies owning just 55 properties (9.0%). This disparity is even more pronounced in entity counts, where 752 individual landlords comprise 94.0% of all landlords, reinforcing the market's mom-and-pop character.

The vast majority of landlord-owned properties are utilized as rentals, with 606 out of 614 properties (98.7%) designated as rented. This strong focus on non-owner-occupied properties confirms investors' primary objective of generating rental income within the county.

A significant 72.5% of investor-owned SFR properties (445 properties) were acquired with cash, indicating strong capital reserves among landlords or a strategic preference for avoiding financing costs. This high proportion of cash purchases contrasts sharply with the 27.5% (169 properties) that are financed.

The notably low number of company-owned properties (55) compared to individual-owned (566) underscores Trousdale County's market as primarily driven by local, small-scale investors rather than large corporate or institutional entities.

Landlords in Trousdale County demonstrate a consistent ability to secure properties at significant discounts, evidenced by Q4 2025 acquisitions at an average of $294,333, which is 35.5% ($161,780) less than traditional homeowners who paid $456,113. This pricing advantage suggests unique market access or a strategic focus on undervalued assets.

The landlord discount has fluctuated but remained substantial throughout 2025, with Q3 showing the largest gap at 54.7% ($173,333 vs $382,748) and Q2 at 30.3% ($314,562 vs $451,484). This quarter-over-quarter variability indicates opportunistic buying patterns tailored to market conditions.

Comparing landlord acquisition prices to the pandemic era (2020-2023 average of $246,856), the average 2025 price of $257,646 represents a modest 4.4% increase. This suggests relatively stable or slower appreciation for investor acquisitions in Trousdale County post-pandemic, contrasting with general market volatility.

The consistent pattern of landlords paying significantly less than homeowners across multiple quarters underscores a strategic advantage in property acquisition. This sustained discount may arise from different property types, purchase motivations, or negotiation tactics employed by investors.

While specific individual versus company pricing is not available, the overall landlord pricing trend, dominated by individual investors in this county, indicates that these smaller-scale players are the primary beneficiaries of these significant purchase discounts.

Landlords were significant players in the Q4 2025 Trousdale County market, securing 9 SFR properties, which represents a notable 25.0% of the total 36 SFR purchases during the quarter. This indicates a robust share of recent market activity attributable to investors.

Mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04) were overwhelmingly the most active investor segment, making 8 of the 9 landlord purchases in Q4, equating to 88.9% of all landlord acquisitions. This highlights their continued and decisive dominance in local market activity.

The single-property landlord tier (Tier 01) alone accounted for 77.8% (7 properties) of all landlord purchases in Q4, signaling a strong influx of new or first-time investors into the market. These 7 new entities contribute significantly to the expansion of the local landlord base.

In stark contrast to the high mom-and-pop activity, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) made no purchases in Trousdale County during Q4 2025, confirming their complete absence from recent acquisition activity in this market.

The distribution of Q4 purchases by tier, with Tier 01 and Tier 03-05 being the most active, directly reflects the existing ownership patterns where smaller landlords overwhelmingly dominate. This indicates that current purchasing behavior reinforces the established market structure.

Trousdale County's investor-owned SFR market is profoundly concentrated among small-scale landlords, with mom-and-pop investors (Tiers 01-04) controlling a dominant 97.8% of all investor-owned properties. This distribution definitively refutes any perception of large institutional dominance in this local market.

The bedrock of the investor market is the single-property landlord (Tier 01), who collectively own 521 properties, representing 82.4% of the total investor-owned SFR. This highlights the foundational role of individuals holding just one rental property in the county.

Institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) hold a 0.0% share of investor-owned SFR properties in Trousdale County, unequivocally indicating their complete absence from this local market and further emphasizing the granular, local-investor landscape.

Even the largest landlord category present, the 'Large' tier (101-1000 properties), accounts for only 1 property (0.2%), underscoring the fragmented and localized nature of investor ownership in this county, far removed from corporate consolidation.

The consistency of these percentages, with Tier 01 maintaining overwhelming dominance, implies a stable market structure over time, with little indication of a shift towards larger portfolio ownership or institutional entry.

Individual investors maintain a significant lead in ownership across all investor tiers in Trousdale County, exemplified by their 93.5% share (493 properties) in the single-property (Tier 01) category, where companies own just 6.5% (34 properties). This firmly establishes individual landlords as the primary owner type.

There is no observable 'crossover point' where company ownership surpasses individual ownership in any tier in Trousdale County; individuals consistently hold the majority. The highest concentration of company ownership is found in the 6-10 property tier, where they account for 42.1% (8 properties) compared to individuals' 57.9% (11 properties).

Even in larger portfolio sizes, such as the 101-1000 property tier, individual investors still hold 100.0% of the single property recorded (1 property). This further illustrates the extremely limited corporate presence across the spectrum of investor sizes within the county.

The distribution highlights that while companies do participate in larger portfolios, such as holding 10.0% (1 property) in the 11-20 property tier, their overall impact remains secondary to individual investors. This suggests a market structure that disfavors large-scale corporate consolidation.

The pervasive dominance of individual ownership across all tiers underscores that Trousdale County's real estate investor market is fundamentally composed of local, private individuals rather than institutional or large corporate entities.

Investor-owned properties in Trousdale County are geographically concentrated, with the 37074 zip code leading significantly with 463 investor-owned SFR properties. This represents a substantial 26.3% of the SFR market within that specific area, highlighting a key investment hotspot.

The top five zip codes by absolute count of investor-owned properties also constitute the top five when ranked by investor ownership percentage, demonstrating a strong correlation between high property volume and high market penetration. These areas include 37074 (26.3%), 37087 (25.6%), 37031 (22.8%), 37022 (21.9%), and 37057 (19.2%).

Zip code 37087, while having a lower total count of 20 investor-owned properties, exhibits a high investor ownership rate of 25.6%, nearly matching the leading zip code. This indicates a relatively high density of investor properties within its smaller SFR inventory, making it a concentrated investment area.

The lowest investor ownership rate among the top five regions is still considerable at 19.2% in zip code 37057, suggesting that investor activity is pervasive across significant portions of Trousdale County rather than being confined to a single hot spot. This widespread activity indicates broad appeal for rental investments.

The consistent ranking by both count and percentage implies that certain zip codes are not only popular for total investment volume but also represent a significant portion of their respective local housing markets, driving a notable investor influence in these areas.

Trousdale County landlords are clear net buyers, consistently accumulating properties as evidenced by 47 purchases against 17 sales throughout 2025, yielding a strong 2.76x buy-to-sell ratio. This signals a confident, growth-oriented investor market with sustained demand for SFR properties.

The net buying trend has been consistent on a quarterly basis, with landlords purchasing 12 properties and selling 5 in Q4 2025, and similar buy/sell patterns of 10 buys vs 7 sells in Q3, and 16 buys vs 4 sells in Q2. This sustained activity indicates ongoing expansion of investor portfolios.

Institutional investors (1000+ tier) show no recorded transaction activity in Trousdale County across any timeframe provided, strongly indicating their complete lack of presence or engagement in buying or selling SFR properties in this local market. This reinforces the mom-and-pop dominance.

Comparing annual activity, landlords were also significant net buyers in 2024, acquiring 66 properties while selling only 21, resulting in a 3.14x buy/sell ratio. This sustained pattern over two years highlights a consistent, long-term accumulation strategy by local investors.

The consistent net buying indicates a healthy demand from investors to acquire properties in this market, suggesting positive sentiment towards long-term rental income opportunities and property value appreciation in Trousdale County.

Landlords were active participants in the Q4 2025 Trousdale County market, responsible for 12 of the total 58 SFR transactions, representing a 20.7% share of all property trades. This indicates a notable investor influence on market liquidity and property turnover.

Transactional activity was heavily skewed towards mom-and-pop landlords (Tier 01-04), who collectively completed 11 transactions. Single-property landlords (Tier 01) were the most active within this segment, completing 7 transactions, signifying robust entry-level investment.

Interestingly, single-property landlords (Tier 01) paid the highest average price among active tiers at $295,571 in Q4. This contrasts with smaller landlord tiers, such as Tier 03-05 ($213,333) and Tier 06-10 ($60,000), suggesting varying acquisition strategies or property types targeted by different investor sizes.

Inter-landlord trading was minimal in Q4 2025; only 1 out of 7 Tier 01 transactions (14.3%) involved buying from another landlord, with other active tiers reporting 0%. This suggests that most landlord acquisitions are from traditional homeowners or non-investor entities, rather than a significant amount of investor-to-investor churn.

Institutional investors (Tier 09) registered no transactions in Q4 2025, consistent with their overall absence from the Trousdale County market. This leaves transaction activity entirely to smaller-scale, individual investors, further defining the local market's structure.