Audrain County presents a valuation-versus-liquidity tension: Zillow’s county value movement is strong while the FHFA repeat-transaction signal is muted, and rent evidence is absent. Zillow’s median home value is $195,896, up 10.66% year over year; FHFA’s separately dated annual HPI rose 0.35%. The measures cannot be merged: FHFA is an appreciation index, not a home-value estimate. Buyers relying on appreciation or income should verify closed-sale comps and leases before proceeding.
No county market asking rent is published, so gross yield cannot be calculated. HUD’s $888 FMR is a payment standard, not an estimate of asking rent, and cannot fill that gap. The reported effective property-tax rate is 0.79%, with a $1,131 median annual tax; these county aggregates identify a carrying-cost consideration, not the tax bill for a specific asset.
Realtor.com’s MLS listing market indicates visible supply and seller concessions, not closed-sale pricing or buyer demand by itself: 80 active listings, 58 median days on market, an 18.43% price-reduced share, and a 13.21% pending ratio. Migration was near balance, but average AGI for inbound movers exceeded outbound movers by $2,991. Investor-financed nonoccupant purchases numbered 36 of 259 total, documenting buyer participation rather than rent support or resale depth.
Annual QCEW records 7,902 covered jobs at county workplaces, down 2.13%; manufacturing is the largest disclosed private supersector. This is neither resident employment nor a tenant-demand forecast. Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and the modeled annual building-value loss ratio is 0.14%; it is not parcel-level loss or insurance cost. Obtain lease comps, property-level taxes, flood zone and elevation, loss history, insurance quotes, condition-adjusted sale comps, and title and financing terms; absent rent and parcel-risk evidence, yield, insurability, and full carrying-cost conclusions remain unavailable.