Kingsport's Zillow ZHVI, a typical home value, is $259,315; ZORI, a typical observed market rent, is $1,355 monthly. The implied gross yield is 6.3%, before repairs, taxes, insurance, vacancy, management, utilities, financing, and transaction costs. ZHVI is 4.94x ACS median household income, while annual ZORI is 31.0% of that income. These ratios frame affordability and screening economics, not any property's achievable rent, purchase price, or net return.
The city has 27,842 housing units, with a 10.1% citywide vacancy rate and renters occupying 39.9% of occupied units. Single-family structures account for 66.7% of all units, setting a stock profile that may affect which comparable properties are most relevant. ACS reports an owner-reported median home value of $234,100 and median gross rent of $907 for surveyed occupied housing; gross rent includes selected utilities. These ACS measures cover a different population and period than Zillow's typical market value and observed rent, so they should not be averaged or treated as conflicting quotes.
Direct city depth is mixed. Among measured renter households, 48.8% are burdened at or above the stated threshold, while large multifamily structures are 5.8% of housing units. Of vacant units, 19.5% are classified as for rent; that reason share is not an availability count for investment-grade rentals. Population was 56,262, up 5.4% between overlapping ACS vintages, a comparison that is not annualized and may reflect boundary changes. Median household income is $52,490, while poverty is 20.7% and unemployment is 4.9%. These citywide survey facts describe demand constraints and stock, not tenant quality, leasing speed, or property condition.
County context differs across the city boundary: Hawkins County records show a 64-day median marketing time and 28.7% of listings with price reductions, while Sullivan County records show 47 days and 25.0%, respectively. These county figures should remain separate rather than being combined into a city estimate. The broader metro shows 1.2% job growth and 3.7 months of supply, providing labor and resale context without measuring Kingsport alone. The national Freddie Mac thirty-year mortgage rate is 6.66%, a financing benchmark rather than a city demand measure.
Underwriting is limited by aggregation, survey error, timing differences, and absent parcel-level revenue and expense data. Verify the property's county jurisdiction, title, tax bill, condition, deferred maintenance, insurance and hazard quotes, achieved rent, concessions, utility responsibility, turnover, vacancy, management, capital spending, and financing. Use matched property comparables and lease evidence: city, county, metro, and national context cannot establish a specific asset's cash flow or resale liquidity.