For Binghamton, Zillow’s typical city home value is $193,778 and typical observed market rent is $1,322 monthly, implying an 8.2% gross yield before every operating cost. Zillow value rose 4.9% year over year, while rent rose 10.5%. Against ACS median household income, the Zillow value is 4.25x income and annualized Zillow rent is 34.8% of income. These ratios frame affordability and revenue potential, not property-level cash flow.
The ACS describes surveyed occupied housing, not Zillow’s modeled market. Its city median owner-reported home value is $124,800 and median gross rent is $870, including selected utilities. They must not be averaged with ZHVI or ZORI because measures and periods differ. Renters occupy 56.0% of occupied units, while the citywide housing-stock vacancy rate is 16.0%. The median structure was built in 1945, making address-level condition and replacement needs important. Tenure and vacancy provide context, but cannot show whether a particular unit will lease quickly.
Direct city evidence adds demand and stock depth. Among measured renters, 51.4% are rent-burdened. Single-family homes represent 42.0% of housing units and large multifamily buildings 9.9%; these are survey shares, not available inventory. Of vacant units, 1,477 are classified for rent, or 36.3%, but classification does not establish readiness, quality, or asking rent. Population increased 4.5% between overlapping ACS five-year vintages, which is not annualized and may reflect boundary changes. Median household income is $45,578; the poverty and unemployment rates are 32.6% and 10.2%, descriptive constraints rather than causes or forecasts.
Broome County’s reported property-tax rate is 2.52%, and Broome County’s median days on market is 32 days; both are county context, not city or parcel measures. The broader Binghamton metro recorded 1.31% job growth and 4.1 months of supply, offering metro labor and resale context without describing the city alone. The national Freddie Mac mortgage rate is 6.58%, a national benchmark rather than a borrower quote. These county, metro, and national measures support stress-testing taxes, exit timing, employment sensitivity, and debt cost without blending denominators.
Aggregates do not reveal a target property’s legal status, condition, tenant quality, operating history, or achievable rent. Before bidding, verify parcel taxes and assessments, insurance and hazard pricing, title, zoning, certificates, code issues, unit mix, utility responsibility, leases, arrears, concessions, turnover, and comparable signed rents. Inspect structure, roof, foundation, mechanicals, environmental conditions, and deferred maintenance; obtain contractor scopes. Rebuild cash flow with realistic vacancy, management, repairs, capital reserves, financing, and closing costs, then test lease-up and resale assumptions against property-specific evidence.