Kershaw County’s decision tension is a strong current rent-to-value calculation beside rent growth that barely moved while values increased. Income-focused investors should investigate whether unit-level rents are durable; buyers relying on appreciation or an easy exit should be cautious. In Zillow’s 2026-06 county observation, the median home value is $261,138 and median asking rent is $1,775 per month, producing an 8.16% gross yield before costs. Value rose 2.52% year over year as asking rent rose 0.28%, so the yield records today’s rent-price relationship rather than evidence of expanding income.
That calculation uses measured market asking rent, not HUD’s two-bedroom Fair Market Rent, a payment standard rather than an estimate of asking rent. Carrying costs can materially change the pre-cost yield: the effective property-tax rate is 0.47%. FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI rose 2.9%; it confirms the direction of Zillow’s price measure but is not a dollar home value. The FHFA annual observation and the Zillow county observation use different methods and labels, so their growth rates cannot be averaged or presented as one interval.
Buyer and demand evidence is qualified rather than one-directional. Realtor.com’s 2026-06 MLS data show price reductions on 21.38% of listings, a seller-concession measure rather than a closed-sale price or proof of demand. QCEW’s 2025 annual covered workplace employment rose 1.3%; it is neither resident employment nor a forecast. Net migration was positive, while incoming movers’ average AGI exceeded outgoing movers’ by $4,634. Nonoccupant purchase mortgages were 2.76% of total purchases, so the migration evidence does not establish broad investor competition.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled climate loss is 0.12% of building value per year; this county-level expected-loss ratio is not a property loss estimate. Test insurance availability and cost, deductibles, flood-zone status, elevation, and drainage before accepting the gross yield. Property-level insurance and flood-claim history, operating expenses, vacancy, lease renewals, rent by unit type, and closed-sales evidence are not published in this record. Their absence prevents a net-yield conclusion and prevents determining whether MLS concessions flow through to transaction prices; verify tax assessment and financing terms as well.