Chautauqua (KS) Investor Pulse Report (2026-Q1)

In Chautauqua County, Kansas, investors have a remarkably high penetration, owning 560 of the 1,114 single-family properties, which constitutes 50.3% of the total market. This significant share indicates that half of the county's SFR housing stock is operated as investment properties, shaping the local housing landscape.

The ownership structure is heavily skewed towards individual investors. Individuals own 484 properties, making up 86.4% of the investor-owned portfolio, while companies own the remaining 81 properties (14.5%). This dynamic underscores the market's reliance on small-scale, non-corporate landlords.

A defining characteristic of this market is its complete lack of leverage. All 560 investor-owned properties are held in cash, with zero properties recorded as financed. This suggests a market composed of investors who are not reliant on mortgage transaction data and can operate without debt service, potentially indicating lower property values or a specific investment strategy.

The portfolio is overwhelmingly dedicated to rentals, with 554 of the 560 properties (98.9%) listed as rented. This near-total rental focus shows that the primary goal for investors in Chautauqua County is generating rental income rather than short-term speculation or other uses.

The disparity between individual and company landlords is also clear at the entity level. There are 620 individual landlords compared to just 51 company landlords, a ratio of more than 12 to 1. This reinforces that the market is driven by a large number of small, individual operators rather than a few large corporate entities.

Analysis of acquisition pricing in Chautauqua County is severely limited due to a complete absence of recent transaction data. There were no recorded SFR purchases by landlords or traditional homeowners in the most recent quarter, making any direct price comparison impossible.

The lack of sales prevents the calculation of the typical price gap often seen between what investors and homeowners pay. In active markets, landlords often purchase properties at a discount, but this trend cannot be verified or quantified here.

Historical data is also sparse, with only a single data point from the 2020-2023 period showing an average price of $47,621 based on zero properties. This suggests that the market has experienced extremely low transaction volume for an extended period.

The absence of transactional data is itself a key insight, pointing to a stagnant and illiquid market. Properties in this area appear to be tightly held, with very few changing hands, which can pose challenges for new investors looking to enter the market or for owners looking to sell.

Without active sales, it is impossible to determine price appreciation or shifts in purchasing behavior. The market's pricing dynamics remain opaque, defined more by the lack of activity than by any discernible trend.

Investor purchasing activity in Chautauqua County came to a complete standstill in Q4 2025, with landlords acquiring zero properties. This reflects a total market halt, as the overall number of SFR purchases from any buyer type was also zero.

As a result, the landlord market share for the quarter was 0.0%. This lack of activity means there was no influx of new investor-owned properties, and the existing portfolio composition remained unchanged.

Breaking down the inactivity by tier reveals no purchasing across the board. Mom-and-pop investors (1-10 properties) and institutional investors (1000+ properties) both recorded zero purchases, indicating the market stagnation affected all investor sizes equally.

The data shows no new landlords entering the market, as the single-property (Tier 01) category saw zero new entities or property acquisitions. This points to a lack of new capital or interest in entering the local rental market during this period.

This complete cessation of purchasing activity is the most significant finding for the quarter. It suggests a market in equilibrium or facing economic conditions that discourage transactions, such as a lack of available inventory or a mismatch between buyer and seller expectations.

The investor landscape in Chautauqua County is unequivocally dominated by small-scale landlords. Mom-and-pop investors, defined as those owning 1-10 properties (Tiers 01-04), collectively control 94.6% of all investor-owned SFRs. This concentration highlights a market built on small, independent operators.

The single-property tier (Tier 01) is the bedrock of the market, comprising 410 properties, or 71.7% of the entire investor portfolio. This demonstrates that the vast majority of landlords in the area own just one rental property.

In stark contrast, there is absolutely no institutional investor presence. The 1000+ property tier (Tier 09) holds zero properties, accounting for 0.0% of the market. This absence defies the common narrative of large corporations buying up housing and confirms the county as a purely local, small-investor market.

Mid-size landlords (11-1000 properties) hold a minor share. The combined holdings of Tiers 05-08 amount to just 31 properties, or 5.4% of the investor market, further emphasizing the granular nature of ownership.

Due to the lack of recent transactions across all tiers, no analysis of acquisition pricing by portfolio size is possible. The market's structure is defined by its historical composition rather than by recent buying trends.

While individual investors dominate the Chautauqua County market overall, a clear pattern emerges when analyzing ownership type by portfolio size. Individuals control the vast majority of smaller portfolios, owning 91.5% of single-property holdings and 84.6% of two-property portfolios.

A distinct crossover point occurs in the small-medium landlord tier. For portfolios of 11-20 properties, companies become the majority owners, holding 17 properties (60.7%) compared to the 11 properties (39.3%) held by individuals. This signals that as portfolios scale, ownership tends to shift to a corporate structure.

Even in tiers where individuals are the minority, their presence is still notable. This indicates that some individual investors in the area have successfully scaled their portfolios without incorporating, maintaining a personal ownership structure for larger holdings.

The largest portfolios managed by individuals fall within the 11-20 property tier. This appears to be the ceiling for most non-corporate investors in this specific market, with formalized business structures taking over for larger-scale operations.

The lack of transaction data prevents any analysis of how purchasing prices might differ between individuals and companies within these tiers. The ownership structure reflects long-term holdings rather than recent acquisition strategies.

The geographic distribution of investor properties in Chautauqua County reveals intense concentration and extraordinarily high ownership rates in specific zip codes. The zip code 67361 leads in sheer volume with 267 investor-owned properties, but its 40.1% ownership rate is modest compared to others.

Several areas are almost entirely rental markets. The zip code 67346 stands out with a 100.0% investor ownership rate, meaning every SFR property is a rental. Similarly, 67334 has an 82.4% rate, and 67024 has a 66.9% rate, indicating these communities have very few traditional homeowners.

Ownership is highly concentrated, with the top five zip codes accounting for 553 of the 560 investor-owned SFRs in the county. This means 98.7% of all investment properties are located in just five postal codes, leaving other areas with minimal investor presence.

The regions with the highest investor-owned counts are also among those with the highest ownership percentages. For example, 67024 is second for property count (174) and third for ownership rate (66.9%), showing a strong correlation between investor volume and market saturation.

This level of concentration suggests that real estate investing in Chautauqua County is a highly localized phenomenon, focused on specific communities where rental demand or acquisition opportunities have historically been strongest. The lack of transaction data, however, makes it impossible to determine if these patterns are continuing or changing.

A comprehensive analysis of historical transaction trends in Chautauqua County is not possible due to the absence of available data. There are no records of buy or sell transactions for landlords over any of the observed timeframes (All Time, Q4, annual).

This data gap prevents the calculation of a buy/sell ratio, making it impossible to determine whether landlords have historically been net buyers or sellers in the market. The overall market velocity and investor sentiment remain unknown.

The percentage of inter-landlord trading, a key indicator of market liquidity and composition, cannot be measured. We cannot know if properties are being traded among existing investors or being sold to or from the traditional homeowner market.

Similarly, a comparison of average buy and sell prices, which can imply profit margins or market health, is not feasible. The financial performance of investment properties at the point of sale cannot be assessed.

The most critical insight from this section is the market's apparent lack of transactional history. This suggests a buy-and-hold environment where properties rarely change hands, a characteristic of a highly illiquid or stable, long-term rental market.

In Q4 2025, landlords played no role in the Chautauqua County transaction market, accounting for 0.0% of all activity. This is a direct result of a complete market freeze, where the total number of SFR transactions was zero.

The inactivity was uniform across all investor sizes. Mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04) and institutional investors (Tier 09) both recorded zero transactions. This indicates the market stagnation was not isolated to any particular segment of the investor community.

With no purchases, it is impossible to analyze the average purchase price by tier. There is no data to suggest whether smaller or larger investors might pay more or less for properties in this market under normal conditions.

The level of inter-landlord trading was also zero. No properties were bought from or sold to other landlords during the quarter, providing no insight into the internal liquidity of the investor market.

The complete lack of Q4 transactions is the defining feature of the current market. It paints a picture of a stable, non-transient housing market where assets are held for the long term and sales are exceptionally rare events.