Clinton County presents a decision tension: measured home values are rising, yet income economics cannot be tested because market rent is unpublished and annual covered workplace employment fell. This profile calls for property-level investigation by buyers able to verify rents and flood costs; cash-flow-sensitive buyers should remain cautious. Zillow’s county median home value is $234,103, up 6.45% year over year. Separately, FHFA’s repeat-transaction HPI rose 5.86% on its annual measure and 48.41% across five years. The common direction supports a price signal, but the HPI is not a dollar home value and the series use different methods and vintages.
Carrying costs are visible only in part. The effective property-tax rate is 2%, and median annual tax is $3,606, so parcel-level assessment and exemption review remains necessary. HUD’s two-bedroom FMR of $1,246 per month is a payment standard, not market asking rent. No market rent is published; gross yield therefore cannot be computed, and insurance, utilities, repairs, vacancy and financing costs are not published.
Realtor.com’s MLS evidence describes visible supply and seller concessions, not closed-sale demand: 149 active listings, median marketing time of 44 days, a 14.63% price-reduced share, and a pending-to-active ratio of 89.90%. These are visible supply, asking-price concession and marketing measures rather than transaction prices. QCEW reports annual covered employment at county workplaces, not resident employment; it fell. Tax-return movers produced net migration of -89 households, while incoming movers’ average AGI exceeded outgoing movers’ by $1,477. Investor purchases were 6.11% of 491 total purchases, so non-owner participation is present but not dominant.
The main modeled physical risk is inland flood. Expected annual climate loss equals 0.14% of building value, a modeled ratio rather than a quoted insurance premium or property-specific loss estimate. Flood-zone status, elevation, claims, insurance terms, replacement cost, lease comparables and sale comparables are not published; without them, an underwriter cannot establish durable net cash flow, flood cost or acquisition value. County-level measures also cannot determine neighborhood demand or a given asset’s tenant profile.