Des Moines County presents an income-versus-resilience and liquidity tension. Zillow’s 2026-06 median home value of $150,712, paired with published median asking rent of $1,012 per month, yields the supplied 8.06% gross yield before expenses. Income-focused buyers should investigate asset-level costs and flood exposure; buyers relying on quick resale or narrow operating margins should be cautious. County evidence does not establish conditions in the Burlington metro.
That rent is measured market asking rent, not policy rent. HUD’s two-bedroom FMR is $1,063 per month, a payment standard rather than an estimate of asking rent, and cannot replace the market-rent input. The 1.51% effective property-tax rate is a carrying-cost input that makes net cash flow lower than gross yield. Zillow’s value measure rose year over year, while FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI rose 3.96%; the methods and vintages differ and must not be averaged. Insurance, repairs, vacancy, debt terms, and parcel assessments are not published, preventing net-yield underwriting.
Realtor.com offers MLS listing-market, not transaction, evidence: its median listing price fell 8.47% year over year and 17.96% of listings had a price reduction. Those are asking-price and seller-concession signals, not closed-sale pricing or proof of buyer demand. The 2025 annual QCEW covered employment at county workplaces increased, but it is neither resident employment nor an unemployment measure. Manufacturing is the largest disclosed private supersector by employment, not the entire economy; its concentration merits employer and tenant-base review. Vacancy, lease-renewal, and property-condition evidence are not published, so tenant depth cannot be established.
Tax-return migration was net +4 households, and inbound movers’ average AGI was $564 above outbound movers’; the small balance does not establish sustained demand. Investor purchases were 19 of 321 total purchases; this county-level measure does not reveal neighborhood bidding or cash buyers. Inland flood is the dominant hazard, with modeled expected building-value loss of 0.13% per year. Flood maps, elevation, insurance quotes, claims history, tenant cohorts, and submarket sale records are not published; without them, hazard-adjusted cash flow and exit-liquidity conclusions remain unresolved.