Calhoun (IL) Investor Pulse Report (2026-Q1)

In Calhoun County, IL, investors hold 184 single-family residential properties, which constitutes 15.9% of the total 1,154 SFRs in the market.

Individual investors are the definitive force, owning 166 properties, or 90.2% of the total investor portfolio. Companies hold a much smaller stake with 23 properties, accounting for the remaining 12.5%.

A striking financial characteristic of this market is the preference for cash ownership. An overwhelming 182 investor-owned properties are owned outright, while only 2 are financed, indicating a low-leverage investment strategy is prevalent among local landlords.

The investor base is composed of 258 distinct landlords. Mirroring the property ownership split, 234 are individuals and just 24 are registered as companies.

The portfolio's primary function is clear, with 180 of the 184 properties identified as rented. This high rental penetration underscores the focus on generating income from these assets within the county.

Analysis of acquisition pricing in Calhoun County is constrained by a complete lack of purchasing activity from investors in recent quarters.

No properties were purchased by landlords, which means a direct comparison between landlord and traditional homeowner acquisition prices cannot be performed.

The absence of transactions prevents the calculation of any price gap or discount that investors might typically achieve in more active markets.

Consequently, trends in acquisition prices over time, such as appreciation from the 2020-2023 period to the current quarter, cannot be measured for the investor segment.

This zero-activity scenario is a significant finding in itself, pointing to a market that is either highly stable, with landlords holding existing assets, or dormant in terms of new investment.

The fourth quarter of 2025 was marked by a complete halt in investor acquisition activity in Calhoun County, with landlords purchasing zero of the zero total SFRs sold.

This inactivity was universal across all investor sizes. Mom-and-pop landlords, who represent the vast majority of owners in the county, made no new purchases.

Similarly, institutional investors, who have no current holdings in the county, also remained inactive with zero properties acquired.

The lack of purchasing from single-property landlords (Tier 01) indicates that no new investors entered the Calhoun County rental market during Q4.

This stagnant quarter suggests a 'hold' strategy among existing landlords and a lack of new capital flowing into the local single-family rental market.

Ownership in Calhoun County is extremely concentrated among the smallest investors. Mom-and-pop landlords, defined as those owning 1-10 properties, control 99.5% of all investor-owned SFRs.

The market is anchored by first-time or single-asset investors. Landlords in the '1 property' tier hold 171 properties, which accounts for a remarkable 91.9% of the entire investor portfolio.

The next largest tiers are minimal in comparison: two-property landlords own just 4 properties (2.2%), and those with 3-5 properties hold 9 homes (4.8%).

There is absolutely no institutional investor presence in Calhoun County. The '1000+ properties' tier holds zero properties, highlighting a market composed entirely of smaller-scale individual operators.

Due to the lack of transaction activity, it is not possible to compare acquisition prices across different tiers for recent periods.

Individuals are the sole owners in several key mom-and-pop tiers. They own all 4 properties in the two-property tier and all 9 properties in the small landlord (3-5) tier.

Companies do not achieve majority ownership at any portfolio size in Calhoun County. Their most significant presence is in the single-property tier, where they own 21 of the 171 properties, a share of just 11.9%.

The data clearly shows that as portfolio sizes increase, ownership remains with individuals rather than transitioning to corporate entities, a reversal of typical market patterns.

With no purchasing activity in the market, a price comparison between individual and company buyers within these tiers is not possible.

This ownership structure underscores a market built on local, individual real estate investing rather than structured corporate operations.

Geographic analysis reveals specific pockets of investor concentration within Calhoun County. The zip code 62047 is the leader by volume, containing 50 investor-owned SFRs, which translates to a 14.2% ownership rate.

However, the highest penetration rate is found elsewhere. Zip code 62355 has an investor ownership rate of 28.6%, the highest in the county, despite not being in the top five by sheer count.

The zip code 62045 shows both high volume and high concentration, with 25 properties and a 20.3% investor ownership rate, making it a significant hub for rental properties.

Other areas with notable investor presence include 62036 (25 properties, 13.2% rate) and 62053 (25 properties, 18.1% rate).

This data illustrates that the areas with the most investor properties are not always the ones with the highest density of rental housing, a key distinction for market analysis.

A lack of available historical transaction data for Calhoun County prevents a deep analysis of market dynamics over time.

It is not possible to determine if landlords have historically been net buyers or net sellers, as buy and sell volumes are unknown.

The level of inter-landlord activity, a key indicator of market liquidity, cannot be measured. The percentage of purchases from other landlords or sales to other landlords remains undetermined.

Similarly, institutional investor transaction patterns cannot be assessed, though their lack of current holdings suggests past activity has been negligible or non-existent.

Without this data, key insights into historical profitability, such as the spread between average buy and sell prices, cannot be generated.

The investor market in Calhoun County was completely dormant in Q4 2025, with landlords involved in zero transactions. This resulted in a 0.0% share of the overall market activity.

The inactivity was consistent across all portfolio sizes. Both small-scale mom-and-pop landlords and larger investors recorded zero transactions for the quarter.

As there were no purchases, the average purchase price for every investor tier was effectively $0.

There was no inter-landlord trading activity, as no properties were bought or sold by investors during this period.

This lack of transactional velocity in Q4 reinforces the theme of a static hold-oriented market, where existing landlords are neither expanding nor divesting their portfolios.