Amarillo’s Zillow ZHVI is $211,834, a typical city home value, while Zillow ZORI is $1,278, a typical observed monthly market rent. Their implied gross yield is 7.24% before every operating cost. The home value equals 3.21x ACS median household income, and annualized Zillow rent equals 23.26% of that income. This is a city-level screening frame, not a property return: taxes, insurance, repairs, vacancy, management and financing remain uncounted.
The city has 89,188 housing units; 40.31% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and 10.59% of all units are vacant. Those citywide shares describe tenure and stock, not lease-up odds for a specific unit. ACS reports a $196,900 owner-reported median value for occupied owner housing and a $1,092 median gross rent for occupied rentals; gross rent includes contract rent plus selected utilities. These ACS measures differ in concept and period from Zillow’s typical value and observed market rent, so they should not be averaged or treated as confirmations.
Among city renters, 47.37% pay at least 30% of income in gross rent. Single-family homes comprise 74.37% of city housing units, versus 8.45% in large multifamily structures. Of city vacant units, 44.29% are classified for rent; ACS vacancy-reason shares do not measure market-ready investment listings. Population rose 1.47% between overlapping ACS five-year vintages, a nonannualized comparison that may also reflect boundary changes. Median household income is $65,912; the poverty rate is 15.75%, and unemployment is 3.38%. These city facts describe demand constraints but cannot establish causation or reveal tenant quality, local block conditions or achievable property rent.
In county context, Potter County has a 1.46% effective property-tax rate, an input to verify against the subject parcel. In county context, Randall County has a 1.51% effective property-tax rate; underwriting should follow the parcel’s county rather than blend the records. In the Amarillo metro, supply is 2.6 months, framing resale conditions beyond city limits. The national Freddie Mac 30-year mortgage rate is 6.58%, a financing input rather than a city demand measure.
The main limitations are aggregation, survey uncertainty, differing measurement periods and concepts, and the mismatch between city, county, metro and national evidence. Before a decision, identify the parcel’s county; verify its tax bill, insurance terms, hazard deductibles, title and association obligations; inspect condition, systems and rehabilitation scope; confirm legal use, utilities and tenant history; and test actual rent comparables, concessions, operating expenses, turnover, financing and resale sensitivity.