DeKalb County’s central tension is a positive Zillow value change against a negative repeat-sale signal, leaving appreciation-dependent buyers to resolve local property evidence rather than treat either series as decisive. Zillow’s county median home value was $242,473 in 2026-06, up 4.45% year over year; FHFA’s annual 2025 repeat-transaction HPI declined 3.94%. These are different measures and vintages, not a common growth interval. Cautious buyers should test whether target-home comparables support the Zillow direction.
Income underwriting is constrained: county market asking rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be computed. HUD’s $1,077 two-bedroom FMR is a payment standard, not measured asking rent, and cannot be substituted for rent or yield. The effective property-tax rate is 0.76%, and median annual tax is $1,285, useful carrying-cost inputs but not a parcel tax or insurance quote. FHFA’s reported five-year HPI gain of 51.47% provides historical repeat-transaction context, not a current home value.
Realtor.com’s MLS listing-market evidence for 2026-06 shows 21 active listings and a 16.45% price-reduced share. Those are visible supply and seller-concession indicators, not closed-sale prices or independent proof of buyer demand. QCEW’s 2025 annual average counts 2,390 covered jobs located at county workplaces, down 7.58%; it is neither resident employment nor a forecast. Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector. Tax-return migration was net negative by 30 households, yet inbound movers’ average AGI exceeded outbound movers’ by $6,421. Investor purchase mortgages represented 7.48% of 107 purchases, a limited observed share that excludes the status of cash buyers.
Risk discipline should center on inland flood exposure. Modeled annual climate loss equals 0.15% of building value, aligned with the dominant hazard, but it is not a parcel flood-zone determination, insurance quote, or damage history. The record lacks market rent, transaction comparables, parcel insurance and flood details, vacancy and lease data, and financing terms. It therefore cannot support a gross-yield, cash-flow, or property-specific value-at-risk conclusion. Next checks are lease comparables, parcel tax and insurance quotes, flood determination, closed-sale comps, and buyer financing and cash-purchase mix.