Fayette County has an income-versus-exit-liquidity tension: published gross yield provides an initial screen, but softer Zillow value and rent readings plus listing concessions require conservative entry assumptions. It warrants review by buyers who can verify leaseability and flood exposure parcel by parcel; quick-resale or rent-growth-dependent buyers should be cautious. The Zillow county observation labeled 2026-06 reports a $497,850 median home value, $2,328 median asking rent, and 5.61% gross yield before costs. Value and rent were down 0.49% and 0.43% year over year.
These are measured market rents, not HUD policy benchmarks. HUD's two-bedroom FMR is $1,820 per month, a payment standard rather than asking-rent evidence, so it cannot substitute for market rent or support a yield calculation. Carrying-cost review also needs the effective property-tax rate of 0.75% and median annual tax of $3,285. The FHFA annual observation shows its repeat-transaction HPI rose 0.76%, contrasting with Zillow's decline. Its distinct method and vintage must not be averaged with Zillow's movement.
Realtor.com's MLS listing-market evidence shows median listing price down 6.65% year over year, active listings up 30.61%, and 21.38% price-reduced. These are asking-price, visible-supply, and seller-concession measures, not closed-sale prices or proof of buyer demand. Annual QCEW reports falling covered jobs at county workplaces while average covered-worker wage rose; Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy. Tax-return outflows exceeded inflows, and entrants had lower average income; nonoccupant purchase-mortgage share was 7.69%, an indicator of measured investor participation, not all buyer activity.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled expected annual climate loss equals 0.10% of building value. That county-level ratio does not identify a parcel's flood zone, elevation, insurance premium, or deductible. The record does not publish achieved lease comps, vacancy, operating expenses, insurance quotes, closed-sale comps, debt terms, or parcel hazard attributes. Those absences prevent a net cash-flow, cap-rate, and property-specific resale conclusion; next checks are lease verification, tax-bill review, insurance underwriting, and flood mapping.