Garland’s Zillow ZHVI typical home value is $289,444 and its Zillow ZORI typical observed market rent is $1,519 per month. Those measures imply a 6.3% gross yield before vacancy and every operating, capital and financing cost. The ZHVI equals 3.79x ACS median household income, while annual ZORI equals 23.9% of that income; these are citywide affordability benchmarks, not a buyer’s payment or a tenant-screening result.
The city has 86,216 housing units; renters occupy 38.4% of occupied units, and the citywide housing vacancy rate is 4.9%. ACS reports a $1,641 median gross rent, including contract rent and selected utilities, and a $270,800 owner-reported median home value for surveyed occupied housing. These ACS measures differ in concept and period from Zillow’s typical market rent and home value, so they should not be averaged or treated as matching observations. Citywide vacancy does not establish lease-up speed for a specific unit.
Direct city context shows 58.1% of renter households are rent-burdened, with housing stock that is 71.8% single-family and 11.0% in large multifamily structures. Of vacant units, 50.9% were classified as for rent, but vacancy-reason and structure shares do not measure purchasable or currently leasable inventory. The population estimate increased 3.5% between overlapping ACS vintages; this is not an annual rate and may reflect boundary changes. Median household income is $76,320, while poverty is 13.0% and unemployment is 4.8%. These describe broad demand capacity and constraints, not causation, tenant quality or property performance.
In Collin County, Realtor median days on market were 50 and 29.3% of listings had price reductions; in Dallas County, the corresponding county figures were 52 days and 25.8%. These separate county records provide negotiation context but do not measure Garland-specific liquidity. The broader Dallas metro had 0.8% year-over-year job growth and 68,016 permitted units year to date, giving metro demand and construction context without locating activity inside Garland. Nationally, Freddie Mac’s 30-year mortgage rate was 6.58%, a financing benchmark rather than a Garland borrower quote.
Underwriting is most limited by citywide averages, mixed source periods and definitions, and Garland’s intersection with separate county jurisdictions. For a candidate property, verify its county and parcel tax bill, achievable rent with like-for-like comps, purchase-price and concession evidence, occupancy and lease history, utility responsibility, HOA terms, insurance and hazard exposure, physical condition, deferred maintenance and near-term capital needs. Recalculate cash flow with realistic vacancy, management, repairs, reserves and financing; the headline gross yield includes none of them.