Clarendon (SC) Investor Pulse Report (2026-Q1)

In Clarendon County, SC, investors hold a significant 28.6% share of the Single-Family Residential market, totaling 2,526 properties out of 8,838 total SFRs.

The market is defined by small, individual operators rather than large corporations. Individual landlords own 2,328 properties, accounting for 92.2% of the investor-owned housing stock, while companies own the remaining 266 properties (10.5%).

This individual dominance is also reflected in entity counts, with 2,981 individual landlords compared to just 261 company entities.

Financing methods reveal a preference for liquidity, as cash purchases vastly outnumber financed ones. Investors hold 2,227 properties free of financing, compared to only 299 that are mortgaged, indicating a strong cash position among local investors.

The portfolio is almost exclusively dedicated to rentals. A total of 2,500 properties are classified as rented, which constitutes 99.0% of the entire investor-owned SFR portfolio, underscoring the business focus of these holdings.

Investors in Clarendon County consistently purchase properties for significantly less than traditional homeowners. In Q1 2026, the average landlord acquisition price was $177,416, a stark contrast to the $275,334 paid by homeowners, representing a 35.6% discount, or $97,918 per property.

This pricing advantage is not a new phenomenon, though its magnitude fluctuates. The discount has widened substantially from a low of 15.5% ($47,747) in Q2 2025, indicating that investors' ability to secure favorable deals has strengthened in recent quarters.

Looking back over the past year, the investor discount has remained a prominent market feature. For instance, in Q1 2025, landlords achieved an even larger 42.0% discount, paying $157,000 while homeowners paid $270,530.

The persistent and substantial gap suggests that landlords are successfully targeting off-market deals, distressed properties, or other opportunities not available to the general public, allowing them to acquire assets well below the typical market rate.

Investor purchasing activity was exceptionally strong in Q4 2025, with landlords acquiring 26 of the 55 total SFR properties sold, a market share of 47.3%.

The bulk of this activity came from the smallest players. Mom-and-pop landlords (owning 1-10 properties) purchased 23 of the 26 properties, representing 88.5% of all investor acquisitions for the quarter.

New investors entering the market were a primary driver of this trend. Single-property landlords alone bought 18 homes (69.2% of the investor total), with 24 new entities making their first purchase.

In stark contrast, institutional investors with over 1,000 properties had a minimal impact, acquiring only one property during the quarter, accounting for just 3.8% of investor buying activity.

This data clearly shows that the acquisition landscape in Clarendon County is controlled by a continuous flow of new and small-scale landlords, not by large-scale institutional capital.

The ownership structure of rental properties in Clarendon County is dominated by small-scale, mom-and-pop landlords (1-10 properties), who collectively own 99.2% of all investor-held SFRs.

This concentration is most extreme at the very bottom of the scale. Landlords with just a single property represent the largest group, holding 2,225 homes, which translates to 85.5% of the entire investor-owned portfolio.

As portfolio sizes increase, the number of properties held drops off dramatically. Mid-size landlords (11-1,000 properties) collectively own just 0.7% of the investor housing stock.

Contrary to common narratives about corporate landlords, institutional investors (1,000+ properties) have a negligible presence in the county. This tier owns only 4 properties, making up just 0.2% of the investor market.

This distribution underscores a market built on small, local real estate investing, where large-scale players have yet to establish any meaningful foothold.

Individual investors are the primary owners of smaller rental portfolios in Clarendon County. In the single-property tier, individuals own 2,076 homes (90.8%), demonstrating their foundational role in the market.

However, as portfolios grow, ownership structures shift towards corporate entities. The crossover point occurs in the 6-10 property tier, where companies own 21 properties (52.5%), surpassing the 19 properties (47.5%) held by individuals.

This pattern suggests that as investors scale their operations beyond a handful of properties, they increasingly adopt formal business structures for liability protection and operational efficiency.

Below this threshold, individual ownership is the clear norm. For example, in the two-property tier, individuals own 157 homes (91.3%), and in the 3-5 property tier, they own 138 homes (95.2%).

The data illustrates a natural progression in investor behavior, moving from personal ownership for smaller holdings to corporate structures for mid-sized portfolios.

Geographic analysis reveals that investor ownership in Clarendon County is not evenly distributed but concentrated in a few key areas. The zip code 29102 is the epicenter of activity by volume, containing 1,267 investor-owned SFRs.

While 29102 leads in raw numbers, other zip codes exhibit a much higher market penetration. In 29056, investors own 50.0% of all single-family homes, making it the most saturated area by ownership rate.

The zip code 29148 stands out as a significant investor hotspot with both high volume and high density. It contains 744 investor properties, and its investor ownership rate of 37.5% is one of the highest in the county.

Other areas with notable investor penetration include 29125 (34.6% rate) and 29111 (29.2% rate), demonstrating a clear targeting of specific neighborhoods by investors.

This data highlights the importance of localized analysis, as the areas with the most investor properties are not always the ones with the highest concentration rates.

The investor market in Clarendon County is in a strong accumulation phase. In Q1 2026, landlords were aggressive net buyers, purchasing 34 SFR properties while selling only 5, resulting in a buy-to-sell ratio of 6.8-to-1.

This net buying behavior is a consistent long-term trend. In 2025, investors bought 127 homes and sold 35, and in 2024 they bought 111 and sold 19, demonstrating sustained portfolio growth over several years.

However, this trend is entirely driven by smaller investors. The institutional tier (1,000+ properties) is moving in the opposite direction. In 2024, this group was neutral, buying one property and selling one, indicating a divestment or static posture rather than accumulation.

The stark difference in behavior suggests that while mom-and-pop landlords see significant opportunity and are actively expanding, large-scale institutions are either exiting the market or reallocating capital elsewhere.

Landlords played a pivotal role in market liquidity during Q1, participating in 34 of the 81 total SFR transactions, which amounts to a 42.0% market share.

A striking pattern emerges in the acquisition prices across different investor tiers, revealing divergent strategies. New single-property landlords paid the highest average price at $224,883 per home.

In sharp contrast, the institutional tier paid an average of just $60,000 per property. This represents a 73.3% price difference, suggesting that large investors are targeting deeply distressed or lower-value assets compared to new market entrants.

Mid-size landlords also demonstrated a focus on lower-cost properties, with prices ranging from $25,000 for the 101-1,000 tier to $183,750 for the 6-10 tier.

The market for landlord-to-landlord sales appears undeveloped. Only 8.0% of acquisitions by single-property landlords came from other investors, and no other tier purchased from a fellow landlord in Q1, indicating that most acquisitions source from the broader public market.