Knox County presents an underwriting tension: value measures rose across distinct methods, while labor and migration evidence is softer. It warrants investigation by buyers able to verify rent and flood exposure property by property; cash-flow-focused or liquidity-sensitive buyers should be cautious. At Zillow’s 2026-06 county observation, median home value was $161,858, up 3%. FHFA’s annual 2025 repeat-transaction HPI rose 3.29%. The readings support the same direction, but they are separate vintages and methods, must not be averaged, and do not establish a closed-sale price.
Market rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be computed. The published HUD FMR is a payment standard rather than an asking-rent estimate and cannot fill that gap. The effective property-tax rate is 0.68%, with median annual property tax of $933. Those figures provide a carrying-cost input, but not a full operating-cost estimate; insurance, maintenance, vacancy, financing, and property-specific assessments are not published. Thus the value measure cannot yet be reconciled to net income.
County workplace evidence adds caution. QCEW reports 16,810 annual-average covered jobs, down 1.56%, and an average weekly wage of $1,030 for covered workers. Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector, not a description of the entire economy. Net tax-return migration was negative by 93 households, and incoming movers’ average AGI was $4,350 below that of outgoing movers. Investor purchases were 24 of 291 total purchases, an 8.25% share: participation is visible but should be judged against the total buyer pool, not treated as proof of rental demand.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard; modeled annual climate loss is 0.13% of building value. That county-level modeled ratio does not substitute for parcel flood-zone, elevation, claims, coverage, and premium review. Realtor.com MLS listing evidence—median asking price, active listings, marketing time, price reductions, and pending ratio—is not published, preventing a read on visible supply, seller concessions, or listing-market pace. The absence of market rent and property-level flood and operating data limits any cash-flow or downside conclusion.