Sampson (NC) Investor Pulse Report (2026-Q1)

Investors hold a significant 29.3% of the single-family residential market in Sampson County, with a total portfolio of 4,849 properties. This high penetration rate underscores the importance of real estate investing in the local housing landscape.

The ownership structure is overwhelmingly dominated by individuals rather than corporations. Individual landlords own 4,341 properties, accounting for 89.5% of the investor-owned housing stock, while companies own the remaining 544 properties (11.2%).

A similar pattern appears in the entity count, where 4,900 individual landlords (92.9%) far outnumber the 377 company landlords (7.1%). This indicates that the average company portfolio is slightly larger than the average individual portfolio, but the market is fundamentally driven by small-scale operators.

The financial strategy of these landlords leans heavily towards cash ownership. An overwhelming 89.0% of the portfolio (4,318 properties) is owned free and clear, compared to just 11.0% (531 properties) that are financed. This suggests a low-leverage, financially stable investor base.

The portfolio's primary purpose is clear, with 4,763 of the 4,849 properties classified as rented. This 98.2% rental rate confirms that these properties are active components of the housing supply, not vacant speculative holdings.

Investors in Sampson County consistently purchase properties at a significant discount compared to traditional homeowners. In Q1 2026, landlords paid an average of $216,768, which is 26.1% or $76,533 less than the $293,301 paid by homeowners.

While still substantial, the Q1 2026 discount represents a significant narrowing of the price gap seen throughout 2025. The landlord advantage peaked in Q2 2025, when they paid 50.5% ($148,314) less than homeowners, followed by discounts of 42.3% in Q1 2025 and 38.0% in Q3 2025.

This trend suggests that the market is becoming more competitive, reducing the deep discounts investors were able to secure previously. Despite the narrowing gap, the ability to acquire assets well below the retail market price remains a core strategic advantage for local investors.

Acquisition prices for landlords have seen dramatic appreciation. The Q1 2026 average price of $216,768 is a 68.5% increase from the $128,669 average paid during the 2020-2023 period, signaling strong market growth and higher capital requirements for new entrants.

Comparing prices across years, the average landlord purchase price climbed from $182,757 in 2024 to $153,533 in 2025 before rising again in Q1 2026, showing price volatility but an overall upward trend since the pandemic era.

Investor activity constituted a major portion of the Sampson County housing market in Q4 2025, with landlords purchasing 44 of the 104 available single-family homes, a market share of 42.3%.

The acquisition activity was almost entirely driven by small-scale investors. Mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties) bought 43 of the 44 properties, representing 97.7% of all investor purchases. Institutional investors with over 1,000 properties made no acquisitions during the quarter.

New entrants are a vital component of this market. The single-property tier saw 40 new entities acquire 28 properties, signaling a healthy influx of first-time landlords. This group alone accounted for 63.6% of all investor-purchased properties in Q4.

Mid-size investors were far less active. Landlords in the 11-20 property tier purchased only one property during the quarter, reinforcing the notion that market momentum comes from the smallest operators.

The data clearly shows that the narrative of large corporations dominating purchases does not apply in Sampson County. Instead, the market is characterized by a high volume of transactions from local, small-portfolio landlords who are either starting or modestly expanding their holdings.

The investor landscape in Sampson County is unequivocally dominated by small-scale, mom-and-pop landlords. Owners with portfolios of 1-10 properties (Tiers 01-04) control 97.7% of all investor-held single-family homes.

The foundation of this market is the single-property landlord. This tier alone accounts for 3,815 properties, representing 76.9% of the entire investor-owned portfolio. This highlights the decentralized nature of the local rental market.

In stark contrast, institutional investors (Tier 09, 1000+ properties) have a minimal presence, holding just 6 properties, or 0.1% of the total. This finding challenges the common narrative of large corporations controlling residential housing.

Mid-size landlords (11-1000 properties) also hold a very small share of the market. Tiers 05 through 08 combined own only 115 properties, which is just 2.2% of the investor portfolio. The market structure shows a steep drop-off in ownership after the 3-5 property tier.

This distribution reveals a highly fragmented market where ownership is spread across thousands of small operators rather than concentrated in the hands of a few large players. This structure has significant implications for market stability, rental pricing, and property management.

Ownership structure shifts significantly as portfolio sizes increase in Sampson County. While individuals dominate the overall market, companies become the majority owners in larger tiers, with the crossover point occurring in the 11-20 property tier where they hold a 67.9% share.

At the smallest scale, individual ownership is nearly absolute. In the single-property tier, individuals own 3,592 homes (93.5%) compared to just 249 owned by companies. This pattern continues through the two-property tier (85.5% individual) and the 3-5 property tier (82.3% individual).

The 6-10 property tier represents a critical transition point. Here, ownership is nearly split, with individuals holding 53.0% and companies holding 47.0%. This indicates that as landlords scale beyond five properties, they are increasingly likely to adopt a corporate structure for liability and financial reasons.

Beyond ten properties, company ownership becomes the norm. The 67.9% company share in the 11-20 property tier marks a clear reversal of the trend seen in smaller portfolios.

This data reveals a distinct life cycle for real estate investor operations in the county, starting with individual ownership and transitioning to a corporate structure as the business scales and professionalizes.

Geographic analysis reveals a high degree of concentration in investor activity within Sampson County. The top five zip codes by property count hold a combined 3,684 investor-owned SFRs, representing 76.0% of the entire investor portfolio in the county.

The zip code 28328 is the epicenter of investor ownership by volume, containing 2,051 properties. This is more than three times the count of the next highest zip code, 28382 (627 properties), highlighting its singular importance to the local rental market.

However, the areas with the highest count are not necessarily those with the highest market penetration. The top zip code for ownership rate is 28466, where investors own 42.9% of all single-family homes. Four of the top five zip codes by rate have investor ownership above 38%.

This distinction between high-volume and high-penetration areas is critical. Zip codes like 28328 offer scale, while areas like 28466 and 28444 (41.0% rate) represent markets that are heavily saturated with rental properties.

These patterns allow for targeted analysis, identifying specific submarkets where investors have either established a massive footprint or have become the dominant form of ownership. For example, using a property search tool within these zip codes would yield a high density of investor-owned opportunities.

Transaction data reveals that landlords in Sampson County are in a phase of aggressive portfolio expansion. They have been consistent net buyers, with acquisitions far outpacing dispositions across all recent timeframes.

In Q1 2026, the trend intensified significantly. Landlords purchased 58 properties while selling only 13, resulting in a net gain of 45 properties and a buy-to-sell ratio of 4.46 to 1. This indicates strong confidence in the market's future performance.

The Q1 2026 activity represents an acceleration compared to previous periods. For the full year of 2025, landlords purchased 238 homes and sold 69, a ratio of 3.45 to 1. The year prior, in 2024, they purchased 199 and sold 39, a ratio of 5.1 to 1, showing some fluctuation but a consistent pattern of accumulation.

Institutional investors (1000+ tier) recorded no transactions, meaning their market position has remained static. The net buying activity is driven entirely by smaller to mid-size landlords.

This sustained period of net acquisition demonstrates a clear strategy of wealth building and portfolio growth among local investors, who are actively reinvesting in the Sampson County housing market.

In Q1 2026, landlords were a driving force in market liquidity, participating in 58 of the 154 total SFR transactions for a market share of 37.7%. This high level of involvement highlights their crucial role in the local real estate ecosystem.

Transaction volume was concentrated among the smallest investors, with mom-and-pop landlords (Tiers 01-04) conducting 57 of the 58 investor transactions. Single-property landlords were the most active, accounting for 40 transactions alone.

A striking pattern emerges in acquisition pricing by tier. Two-property landlords paid the highest average price at $389,936, nearly double the average paid by new, single-property landlords ($183,676). Conversely, landlords in the 6-10 property tier acquired homes for an average of just $44,000, suggesting they target different types of assets entirely.

The source of properties also differs by tier. Two-property landlords sourced a majority of their purchases (54.5%) from other landlords, indicating they are acquiring established rental properties. In contrast, new landlords (Tier 01) sourced only 10.0% of their purchases from other investors, implying they are more likely buying from homeowners.

These findings suggest distinct strategies are at play: new investors enter the market by buying from the general public, while slightly more established investors (Tier 2) expand by acquiring turnkey properties from their peers, often at a premium price.