Chatham County presents a split underwriting case: Zillow’s 2026-06 county measures show median value down 3.17% year over year and median asking rent down 1.62%, while the FHFA repeat-transaction HPI rose 2.30% in 2025. The first pair calls for restrained current-income assumptions; the latter is an index movement, not a home value. These differing vintages and methods cannot be blended into a single appreciation rate. Income buyers should investigate rent durability and carrying costs; buyers dependent on price gains should be cautious.
The $1,781 monthly measured market asking rent—not HUD FMR, which is a payment standard—supports the stated 6.29% gross yield before operating costs when paired with the supplied price. HUD FMR cannot establish market rent or gross yield. The 0.84% effective property-tax rate is a county-level carrying-cost input, but parcel assessment, exemptions, and tax bills are needed to apply it to a subject asset. This is income screening, not a net-cash-flow conclusion.
Realtor.com’s MLS listing market shows active listings up 28.15%, a 72-day median marketing time, and 23.84% of listings reduced; its lower median listing price is an asking-price signal, not a sale price. More visible supply, longer marketing, and concessions warrant property-level comp and absorption checks, but do not alone prove weak buyer demand. QCEW reports higher annual covered workplace employment and wages; Trade, transportation, and utilities is its largest disclosed private supersector, not the entire economy. Net migration of 277 tax-return households paired with an inbound-outbound average AGI gap of $5,468 is modest positive household evidence. Investor mortgages accounted for 787 of 3,965 purchases, indicating non-owner competition must be checked by neighborhood and asset type.
Hurricane is the named dominant hazard, and modeled annual climate loss equals 0.43% of building value; it is a modeled ratio, not a property insurance quote or dollar loss. No published vacancy, lease renewal, submarket closed-sale comps, insurance premiums, flood elevation, operating expenses, debt terms, or parcel assessment is available. Those gaps prevent net-yield, insurability, exit-price, and asset-level tax conclusions; next checks are rent comps, insurance and flood quotes, condition, and tax bills.