Jefferson County presents a low-basis-versus-depth tension: Zillow reports a $100,604 county median home value, up 0.94% year over year, while QCEW shows 870 annual average covered jobs at county workplaces, down 9.75%. The appropriate user is an investigator able to prove address-level rent, tenant demand and flood costs; a buyer depending on broad local job expansion should be cautious. QCEW is neither resident employment nor unemployment, and its largest disclosed private supersector does not describe the whole economy.
Measured market rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be calculated. HUD’s $937 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a payment standard, not an estimate of asking rent, and cannot fill that gap. The effective property-tax rate is 0.63%; it is a carrying-cost input alongside unreported insurance, maintenance and flood costs, not evidence that an acquisition cash-flows. The supplied Zillow value direction has no FHFA annual repeat-transaction HPI observation for an independent appreciation cross-check.
Realtor.com’s MLS evidence points to a less immediate listing environment, but not necessarily weak completed-sales demand. There are 19 active listings, higher year over year; median marketing time is 76 days and also lengthened. The 6.45% price-reduced share signals some seller concessions, while a 54.05% pending-to-active ratio gives only a snapshot of listings moving toward contract. Its median listing price rose year over year, yet asking prices, visible supply, marketing time and pending status are not closed-sale prices or proof of buyer demand.
Tax-return migration was negative by 43 households, and outbound movers averaged $4,586 more AGI than inbound movers, narrowing the case for assuming deep household demand. Investors made 6 of 49 recorded purchases, a 12.24% share: participation is present but small-count county evidence cannot establish investor pricing power. Inland flood is the dominant hazard; modeled expected annual building-value loss is 0.18%, a portfolio-screening metric rather than an address-level loss estimate. Lease comps, vacancy, closed sales, flood-zone and insurance details are not published; without them, tenant depth, exit pricing and full carrying costs remain untested.