Duval County Investors Now Own 32% of Non-Homestead Homes
Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-07-16 · Reviewed by Camilo Palacio, Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional (License #3280644, REALTOR®), affiliated with Silver Door Realty, LLC (License #CQ1064903)
A low mortgage rate alone doesn't make holding onto a rental the smart move in Duval County. Investors now own 32% of every non-homesteaded condo and single-family home in the county, according to Duval County Property Appraiser Joyce Morgan. A new Action News Jax investigation found investors owning three or more properties, including national investment firms, hold that share. The surge traces back to homeowners who locked in 2.5% to 3% mortgage rates during the pandemic and, when they needed to move, chose to keep those low-rate homes as rentals rather than sell and give up the rate. A local broker quoted in the report says that shift accelerated in 2024 as more of those homeowners relocated. For Duval County homeowners weighing the same decision (sell now, including to a direct buyer like Cash Flow Deals, or hold as a rental) the math depends on whether the property, the tenant situation, and your timeline actually support landlording. Not just whether the mortgage rate looks good on paper.
| Cash Flow Deals | Traditional Listing | |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | No-obligation offer within 24-48 hours, whether the property is tenant-occupied or vacant | Action News Jax cites a Northeast Florida home that sat on the market for six months before selling |
| Repairs | Buys the property as-is - no repairs required before closing | Typically needs repairs and showings to compete for owner-occupant, financed buyers |
| Fees/Costs | One net number to weigh against your rental math - no commissions to factor in | Standard listing commissions plus the mortgage, insurance, and management costs that keep accruing while the home sits as a rental instead of selling |
What This Means for Florida Home Sellers
Duval County's rental stock is growing because homeowners are choosing to hold onto low-rate mortgages instead of selling. That means more competition for buyers who need financing, and fewer traditional owner-occupant purchases moving through the market. If you converted a house to a rental instead of selling, or you're now managing a tenant you never planned to become a landlord for, that decision doesn't have to be permanent. Selling a tenant-occupied property in Florida is legal and doesn't require eviction. The lease simply transfers to the new owner.
Should You Keep the Rental or Sell It in Duval County
Holding onto a Duval County rental only pencils out if the numbers work: rent covers the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance with room left over, and you're willing to manage tenant turnover, repairs, and Florida's insurance requirements on an aging property. The Action News Jax investigation cites one Northeast Florida home that sat on the market for six months as a listing, then leased as a rental in 30 days. That's a real example of how differently the sale and rental paths move. If being a landlord wasn't the plan and it isn't working, an outright sale, tenant in place or vacant, settles the question instead of leaving it open indefinitely.
What Florida Sellers Should Do Now
If you became a Duval County landlord because selling didn't pencil out a few years ago, and you'd rather have the equity than the tenant, start by getting a real number for what the property is worth today. Northeast Florida home prices have moved from the $200,000s pre-pandemic into the $380,000s in the years since.
Cash Flow Deals is a Florida real estate investor that locks in a net price for a seller's house before repairs are scoped, using a novation-based, flat-fee process arranged through its licensed FL brokerage partner, Silver Door Realty — not a traditional listing, and not a brokerage itself.
Cash Flow Deals can make a no-obligation offer on the property as-is, tenant-occupied or vacant, without requiring you to end the lease first. Compare that net number against what you're actually clearing after mortgage, insurance, repairs, and management before deciding whether landlording is still worth it.
Cash Flow Deals' Offer Process:
1. Submit your Duval County property details to Cash Flow Deals, tenant-occupied or vacant, and get a no-obligation offer within 24-48 hours. No need to end the lease first.
2. Compare that net offer against what you're actually clearing after mortgage, insurance, repairs, and property management before deciding whether to keep the rental or sell.
3. If selling comes out ahead, close through a novation-based process where the tenant's existing lease simply transfers to the new owner. No eviction and no vacancy required.
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What this means for your options
When more landlords list rental property at the same time, buyer attention splits across more listings. Properties that don't compete on the open market close faster.
Wait and see
Keep the property as-is and hope conditions improve. The mortgage, insurance, and upkeep keep costing money while you wait, with no set date for things to turn around.
List with a traditional agent
Standard MLS listing, typically 5-6% in commission, and a financed buyer whose deal depends on appraisal, inspection, and lender approval — any of which can fall through after weeks on market.
Sell to Cash Flow Deals
No repairs, no showings, no financing contingency on your side — our novation structure connects you with a bank-financed buyer at a price locked at signing. A no-obligation offer, usually within one business day.
See your no-obligation cash offer before you decide anything.