Corporate and LLC buyers held 46.0% of the 3,869 tracked single-family properties in the Memphis metro between January 1 and May 31, 2026, a total of 1,781 homes and the fourth highest corporate rate this report series has recorded. The capital behind those purchases is more external than anywhere else in the series: 27.6% of tracked buyers mail from outside Tennessee, a new series record, yet the top of the buyer table is entirely local, led by 901 2 0 LLC with 60 properties.
Memphis is the deepest value market this series has covered. A majority of all tracked activity, 55.8%, closed under $150k, the median value of $133,000 is the lowest recorded, and the leading zip, Frayser’s 38127, absorbed 10.5% of the entire dataset, the first double-digit concentration in the series. This report breaks down where investors bought, what they paid, who led the market, and what five months of sustained data signal for sellers, realtors, and buyers heading into summer.
Data sourced and verified by the iBuyer.com Market Insights Team. Coverage period: January 1 through May 31, 2026.
46.0%
Corporate / LLCOwnership Rate
3,869
PropertiesAnalyzed
$133,000
MedianMarket Value
53.0%
CashBuyer Rate
27.6%
Out-of-StateInvestor Share
2,728
Unique InvestorEntities
Selling in America’s Busiest Cash-Flow Market?
With investors behind nearly half of tracked Memphis purchases, a competitive cash offer puts you in control. See what your home could sell for, fast.
Corporate Ownership Rate: 46.0%, Split Among 1,253 Small Operators
Of the 3,869 single-family properties tracked across the Memphis metro from January 1 through May 31, 2026, corporate entities held 1,781, a 46.0% ownership rate. Only Atlanta (52.8%), Kansas City (48.7%), and Birmingham (47.9%) have posted higher rates in this series, putting Memphis firmly in the affordable-market cluster where corporate participation approaches half of all tracked activity.
As in those markets, the rate masks extreme fragmentation. The dataset records 1,253 unique corporate owners behind the 1,781 corporate-held properties, and the leader, 901 2 0 LLC, holds 60 homes, 1.6% of the dataset, at a $102,000 average. The top four buyers combined control 189 properties, under 5% of tracked activity. No national platform appears anywhere in the top ranks: no Opendoor, no Tricon, no Alto, the same all-local profile this series documented in Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.
Geographically, the corporate share concentrates exactly where prices bottom out. Per this dataset’s zip-level figures, corporate buyers took roughly 59% of sales in Frayser’s 38127 (239 of 405) and 51% in 38109, the two cheapest high-volume zips in the metro, while participation above $250k drops to 21.8% of tracked activity and above $600k to just 2.2%.
“What we’re seeing here is Memphis becoming a playground for small-scale corporate landlords rather than institutional giants: 46% corporate ownership across 3,869 properties, but spread among 1,253 different entities. The top player, 901 2 0 LLC, controls just 60 units at a $102,000 average, while REI Nation LLC owns 35 properties averaging $176,000 each, suggesting a bifurcated strategy between cash-flow focused operators in distressed areas like 38127 (median $90,000) and value-add players targeting slightly better neighborhoods. This fragmented ownership structure, combined with 55.8% of all transactions under $150,000 and a median build year of 1962, points to a market driven by rental yield optimization rather than appreciation plays. For consolidation to occur, either cap rates would need to compress significantly or acquisition financing costs would have to drop dramatically.”
The 27.6% out-of-state share is the highest recorded in this report series.
Where Investors Are Buying: Frayser Absorbs a Tenth of the Market
Tracked activity spans 25 zip codes, but no market in this series has funneled so much into one. Frayser’s 38127 absorbed 405 properties, 10.5% of the entire dataset, the first double-digit single-zip share the series has recorded and nearly half again the previous record Kansas City’s 64130 set at 7.1%. Add 38109 in southwest Memphis (8.5%) and the University District’s 38111 (5.7%), and the top three zips account for almost a quarter of all tracked activity.
The price column reads like nothing else in the series. Eight of the top ten zips average below $135,000, and South Memphis’s 38106 posts a $65,500 average, the cheapest zip-level figure any market has recorded, undercutting the previous low of $71,000 in Indianapolis’s Anderson. These are workforce neighborhoods of mid-century housing, and they are precisely where Memphis investor capital lives.
| # | Zip Code | Area | Properties | Share | Avg Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38127 | Frayser | 405 | 10.5% | $90,000 |
| 2 | 38109 | Westwood / Boxtown | 327 | 8.5% | $90,000 |
| 3 | 38111 | University District / Normal Station | 220 | 5.7% | $117,000 |
| 4 | 38106 | South Memphis | 196 | 5.1% | $65,500 |
| 5 | 38118 | Parkway Village / Oakhaven | 192 | 5.0% | $125,500 |
| 6 | 38114 | Orange Mound / Bethel Grove | 168 | 4.3% | $80,500 |
| 7 | 38122 | Berclair / Highland Heights | 168 | 4.3% | $113,500 |
| 8 | 38128 | Raleigh | 161 | 4.2% | $120,000 |
| 9 | 38108 | Hollywood / Nutbush | 137 | 3.5% | $69,000 |
| 10 | 38116 | Whitehaven | 135 | 3.5% | $134,000 |
The corporate overlay tracks the bottom of the price column. Per this dataset’s zip-level figures, corporate entities took 59% of Frayser’s sales and 51% of 38109’s, the heaviest zip-level shares in the metro, concentrated in the two leading zips where averages sit at $90,000. In these neighborhoods, the typical competing buyer for a listed home is now an LLC.
What is missing from the table is equally telling: no suburban or premium zip cracks the top ten. Arlington’s 38002 appears only at the edge of the chart’s top twelve, and nothing east of the urban core registers meaningful volume. Memphis investor activity is an inner-city phenomenon to a degree no other market in this series has matched.
Price Tiers: A Majority of the Market Below $150k
For the first time in this series, a single price tier holds an outright majority. The under-$150k band absorbed 2,158 properties, 55.8% of all tracked activity, dwarfing the previous single-tier record of 41.6% set by Las Vegas’s $400k-$600k band, and the $150k-$250k tier adds another 22.4%. The yield math rests on a workforce tenant base anchored by the metro’s logistics economy: Bureau of Labor Statistics metro employment data tracks roughly 650,000 nonfarm jobs across the Memphis metro, with transportation and warehousing carrying an outsized share of them.
The $133,000 median against a $183,819 average leaves a 38% mean-to-median spread, the suburban tail pulling the mean upward while the bulk of activity sits far below it. For perspective on how deep the discount runs, median listing price data for the Memphis metro tracked by the St. Louis Fed shows the open market’s asking midpoint sitting well more than double this dataset’s $133,000 median; Memphis investors operate in a price stratum the listed market barely touches.
Housing Stock: Mid-Century Rentals at Entry Prices
The tracked stock is vintage Memphis: 59.7% built before 1970 against a 1962 median build year, the third oldest profile in the series behind Kansas City (66.9%) and Cincinnati (65.1%). The 1950s alone supply 23.7% of the dataset (913 properties), the heaviest single-decade cohort any market in this series has recorded, with the 1960s and 1970s adding roughly 30% more. At a median 1,375 square feet, second smallest in the series after Kansas City’s 1,256, these are compact postwar houses bought to be renovated and rented.
Market value in this dataset reflects assessed market value from public records at the time of export, and Memphis values are unusually fresh: Tennessee puts Shelby County on a four-year reappraisal cycle, and the Shelby County Assessor of Property’s reappraisal program completed its most recent countywide revaluation in 2025, resetting values across more than 353,000 parcels just before this data window. Recorded values here should track the market more closely than in counties deep into their cycles.
Median year built: 1962. Share of tracked stock built before 1970: 59.7%. Decade shares reflect properties with a recorded build year.
Full Market Snapshot: Memphis at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Signal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Properties analyzed | 3,869 | Baseline | All matched on filters, Memphis metro |
| Corporate ownership rate | 46.0% | High | 1,781 of 3,869 via LLC / trust / entity; fourth highest in series |
| Out-of-state investor share | 27.6% | Active | 1,066 properties; highest in series |
| Median market value | $133,000 | Entry-level | Lowest in series, below Birmingham’s $169,000 |
| Average market value | $183,819 | Reference | Mean across matched properties |
| Cash buyers | 53.0% | Moderate | 2,049 of 3,869; lowest in series |
| Median property size | 1,375 sq ft | Reference | Second smallest in series after Kansas City |
| Built pre-1970 | 59.7% | Reno plays | Median year built 1962; third oldest in series |
| Unique corporate entities | 2,728 | Fragmented | Includes 1,253 distinct corporate owners |
| Active zip codes | 25 | Broad | Activity concentrated in the urban core |
Who Is Buying: A Hometown Table in a National Market
The buyer table could not be more Memphis. The leader, 901 2 0 LLC, carries the city’s area code in its name and holds 60 properties at a $102,000 average. Mid South Homebuyers LLC follows with 59, REI Nation LLC and Memphis Investment Properties IV LLC tie at 35 each. Mid South Homebuyers and REI Nation are established Memphis turnkey operators, businesses built on renovating affordable rentals and selling them, tenant in place, to investors who often live nowhere near Tennessee. No national platform appears anywhere in the top ranks.
| Rank | Entity | Properties | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 901 2 0 LLC | 60 | Local operator; $102,000 average acquisition value |
| 2 | Mid South Homebuyers LLC | 59 | Memphis turnkey rental operator |
| 3 | REI Nation LLC | 35 | Memphis turnkey operator; $176,000 average acquisition value |
| 4 | Memphis Investment Properties IV LLC | 35 | Local investment operator |
The table’s composition explains the dataset’s strangest pairing. Memphis posts the series’ highest out-of-state share (27.6%) and its lowest cash rate (53.0%) at the same time that its visible top buyers are all local. The turnkey model reconciles all three: local operators acquire and renovate at the front end, remote investors take title at the back end, frequently with financing, and both legs of the trade show up in a five-month transaction window. External money does not need a national platform here because Memphis built its own pipeline years ago.
The analyst commentary’s bifurcation shows in the averages: 901 2 0 LLC buying at $102,000 works the deepest cash-flow stratum, while REI Nation’s $176,000 average targets the renovated, rent-ready tier above it. Between those two price points sits most of the Memphis investor market.
Over 2,700 Buyers Are Active in Memphis Right Now
From Frayser to Whitehaven, investor demand for Memphis homes runs deep. Compare a no-obligation cash offer before you list.
Market Implications: What 3,869 Transactions Mean for You
- In 38127 and 38109, corporate ownership runs 59% and 51%; price competitively.
- The $150k-$250k tier sees 22.4% of activity; competition is more manageable.
- 1950s-built homes draw steady demand; they account for 23.7% of sales.
- 38106’s $65,500 average value signals aggressive investor pricing pressure.
- Prep buyers for cash competition; 53% of tracked purchases closed cash.
- 901 2 0 LLC and Mid South Homebuyers combined for 119 purchases.
- In 38127, 239 of 405 sales went to corporate entities.
- Above $250k, investor participation drops to 21.8% of tracked activity.
- Heaviest corporate pressure sits in 38127 and 38109; expect entity competition.
- Above $600k, just 2.2% of tracked investor activity occurs.
- Prepare cash or fast-close financing; 53% of purchases were cash.
- Investor demand centers on 1950s stock; newer builds face thinner competition.
Reading the Signals: Five Months of Memphis Data
Q1 Through Q2: A Sub-$150k Majority Held All Five Months
The January 1 to May 31 window spans the full first quarter plus the opening two months of Q2, which makes the tier distribution a structural reading rather than a seasonal one. A single price band holding an outright majority, 55.8% of all tracked activity under $150k, did not happen in one unusual month; it persisted through the slow winter quarter and into the spring ramp, alongside the 46.0% corporate rate and the corporate majorities in Frayser and 38109. That stability is the signal: Memphis investor demand is yield arithmetic, largely indifferent to season, pointed at compact mid-century houses that rent immediately at entry prices no other market in this series can offer. Because the dataset does not break out by quarter, no sub-period figures can be claimed. Heading into summer, the baseline for sellers in the urban core is unambiguous: the buyer pool is deep, it is steady, and more often than not it arrives as an LLC.
The Turnkey Paradox: Record External Capital, All-Local Buyers
Memphis takes the out-of-state record at 27.6%, the third consecutive report to reset it after Kansas City (20.3%) and Las Vegas (26.0%), yet not a single national platform ranks among its top buyers, and its 53.0% cash rate is the lowest the series has measured. The three facts resolve into one business model. Memphis’s signature turnkey operators, Mid South Homebuyers and REI Nation among the top four buyers, acquire and renovate affordable houses locally, then sell them tenant-in-place to remote investors who frequently finance the purchase. Both halves of that pipeline land in a five-month transaction window: the local operator’s acquisition and the external buyer’s financed take-out. Where Las Vegas’s external capital arrived through institutional platforms buying at scale, Memphis’s arrives one financed closing at a time through a homegrown industry. For sellers the practical upshot is the same in either city: the demand is national even when the name on the offer is local.
Frayser at 10.5%: The Deepest Concentration in the Series
Memphis closes the books on several series records at once. Frayser’s 38127 holds 10.5% of all tracked activity, the first double-digit zip share recorded and well past Kansas City’s 7.1%. South Memphis’s 38106 posts the cheapest zip average yet at $65,500. The $133,000 median undercuts Birmingham’s $169,000 as the lowest in the series, and the 1950s’ 23.7% share is the heaviest single-decade cohort any market has produced. Together with Kansas City and Birmingham, Memphis completes a trio of affordable mid-South and Midwest markets where corporate participation approaches or exceeds half of tracked activity, stock is overwhelmingly pre-1970, and top buyers are small local operators rather than platforms. Within that trio Memphis is the extreme on every axis: cheaper, more concentrated, and more externally funded. Heading into summer, the question this dataset poses is whether any national platform eventually follows the yield into the 901, or whether the turnkey pipeline keeps the market local-facing indefinitely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Methodology
Data sourced and verified by the iBuyer.com Market Insights Team. Coverage period: January 1 through May 31, 2026.
Ready to See What Your Memphis Home Is Worth?
From Frayser to Whitehaven, investor demand is reshaping the urban core. Find out what a competitive cash offer looks like for your property today.
Reilly Dzurick is a licensed real estate agent with over six years of experience and a member of the iBuyer.com Market Insights Team, covering national trends in home selling and the evolving iBuyer landscape. Her firsthand experience working with buyers and sellers gives her a practical perspective on how these platforms impact real homeowners. She holds a degree in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication.
