Clarke County presents a tension between a shrinking visible listing market and weakening county fundamentals; it warrants property-level investigation, while buyers relying on local income or resale liquidity should be cautious. Zillow’s 2026-06 county median home value was $143,530, down 0.35% year over year. Separately, the FHFA annual 2025 repeat-transaction HPI fell 1.83% year over year, though its cumulative five-year change was 19.23%. The HPI is an index, not a home value; it corroborates recent softness, but its method and vintage cannot be averaged with Zillow’s valuation measure.
No county market rent is published, so gross yield cannot be computed. HUD’s two-bedroom FMR is $791 per month, but it is a payment standard, not an estimate of asking rent, and cannot fill that gap. The effective property-tax rate is 0.33%, with median annual tax of $396. Those are carrying-cost inputs only: insurance, repairs, financing and operating costs are not published. Rent comparables, a property tax bill and insurance terms are required before cash flow can be tested.
Realtor.com’s MLS listing-market evidence shows 62 active listings, 17.88% fewer year over year, and 71 median days on market, 29.32% shorter. Shrinking visible supply and faster marketing merit a buyer-depth check, but active listings and marketing time are neither closed-sale prices nor proof of buyer demand. Tax-return migration was negative 96 households, while arriving movers had average income $4,375 below departing movers; together these weaken the inference that limited listings alone indicate durable demand. Investors accounted for 4 of 141 purchase mortgages, indicating limited documented non-owner participation rather than dominant competition.
Annual QCEW covered employment at county workplaces declined 5.71%, and average weekly wage was $1,002. This is not resident employment, unemployment or a forecast; Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy. Hurricane is the dominant hazard, and modeled climate loss equals 0.24% of building value per year, requiring property-specific flood, wind, deductible and insurance-availability review. Closed-sale comparables, vacancy, lease terms and property condition are not published; without them, neither resale liquidity nor net operating performance can be underwritten.