Clearwater County presents a price-momentum-versus-income-and-hazard diligence case, not a simple acquisition screen. Zillow reports a $313,766 median county home value and a 4.78% year-over-year increase. The earlier FHFA annual repeat-transaction HPI rose 3.96%; it corroborates a positive direction but is not a home value and cannot be blended with Zillow into one appreciation rate. Buyers relying on rent coverage or resilience assumptions should be cautious until parcel and operating data are obtained.
Market rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be computed from this record. HUD's $1,077 FMR is a payment standard, not measured asking rent, and cannot replace it in yield work. The effective property-tax rate is 0.54%, while median annual tax is $1,443; these are carrying-cost inputs but do not establish affordability or net operating income. Rent, vacancy, insurance, maintenance, and financing terms remain unpublished, preventing a price-to-income or cash-flow conclusion.
Annual QCEW covered employment rose 1.36%, and average weekly covered-worker wage was $998. These are jobs at county workplaces and a covered-worker average, not resident employment, unemployment, or a forecast. Education and health services is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy, so tenant-demand dependence needs local employer review. Tax-return migration was positive, with average incoming AGI of $74,680 versus $50,403 for outgoing households; the income difference merits investigation but does not prove housing demand. Investors made 3 of 63 purchase mortgages, or 4.76%, suggesting limited recorded non-owner-occupant mortgage participation rather than a full measure of buyer competition.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled climate loss equals 0.42% of building value per year. This is modeled expected loss rather than observed claims; obtain property-specific flood zone, elevation, drainage, insurance premium, deductible, and claims history. Realtor.com median listing price, active listings, days on market, and price-reduced share are not published, so MLS visible supply, marketing time, and seller-concession conditions cannot be read. Missing closed-sale comparables also prevents a transaction-price or liquidity conclusion.