Zillow puts Terre Haute’s typical city home value at $163,505 and typical observed market rent at $995 a month. Their direct combination gives a 7.3% gross yield before every operating cost, financing expense and vacancy allowance. The city ZHVI is 3.79x ACS median household income, while annual ZORI equals 27.7% of that income. These are broad affordability screens, not borrower underwriting; debts, down payment and loan terms remain unknown.
ACS describes 26,372 city housing units; 47.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and citywide vacancy is 12.0%. Its surveyed median value for occupied owner housing is $115,700, while median gross rent is $922 and includes contract rent plus selected utilities. ACS measures differ from Zillow in period, universe and construction, so they should not be averaged or treated as property comps. Tenure and vacancy cannot establish demand for a specific unit.
Direct city context shows 61.2% of renter households are rent-burdened; 69.2% of housing units are single-family and 8.8% are in large multifamily structures. Among vacant units, 25.1% are classified for rent; the structure, burden and vacancy-reason shares are survey context, not counts of investable or rent-ready listings. Population is 3.7% lower than in the overlapping baseline ACS vintage; this is not annualized and may reflect boundary changes. Median household income is $43,126, alongside a 24.7% poverty rate and 6.9% unemployment rate. These demand constraints are descriptive, not causal or proof of lease speed.
Vigo County listings had a median 38 days on market and a 20.0% price-reduced share; this county evidence may indicate negotiating room but does not measure city liquidity. Vigo County’s 0.884% property-tax rate is county context, not a parcel bill or reassessment estimate. The Terre Haute metro had 0.5% year-over-year job growth and 1.9 months of supply; these metro readings frame labor demand and market balance without establishing city outcomes. The 6.58% national mortgage rate is a national financing input that can materially alter leveraged cash flow.
The main gap is asset-level economics: the Zillow yield omits taxes, insurance, repairs, capital work, management, turnover, utilities, concessions and financing. Verify achievable unit rent, purchase and rehabilitation costs, title, zoning, taxes after transfer, insurance and flood exposure, utility responsibility, building condition and local compliance. Then test net operating income and debt service under vacancy and repair sensitivities. Current city listings and parcel records are also essential because county and metro statistics cannot establish property liquidity.