Lafayette Parish, LA

Lafayette Parish presents a yield-versus-friction decision: Zillow’s county median home value is $239,419 and its measured median asking rent is $1,382 per month, supporting a stated 6.93% gross yield before expenses. That combination warrants investigation by operators able to underwrite property-level insurance, taxes, condition, and achievable leases; buyers relying on quick resale or unverified rent should be cautious. Zillow’s value measure has risen while listing-market conditions are softer, so the headline yield is not a pricing conclusion.

Carrying costs narrow the headline. The effective property-tax rate is 0.57%, with median annual tax of $1,380, but both can differ by parcel and assessed value. HUD’s two-bedroom FMR is $1,019 per month; it is a payment standard, not an asking-rent estimate, and it should not replace the published market-rent input. FHFA’s annual repeat-transaction HPI declined 0.08%, challenging Zillow’s positive direction; the index is not a home value, and the sources use different methods and observation vintages.

Realtor.com’s supplied MLS-market evidence shows 1,139 active listings and 76 median days on market. These are visible asking-market supply and marketing-time measures, not closed-sale prices or proof of buyer demand. Annual QCEW reports 139,022 covered jobs at county workplaces, up 1.35%; education and health services is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the entire economy or resident labor market. Net migration of 266 tax-return households and a $4,737 inbound-over-outbound average AGI gap are modest mover evidence. An 11.38% non-occupant purchase-mortgage share alongside 3,066 total purchases indicates some buyer competition, but not its effect on rents.

Hurricane is the dominant hazard, and modeled annual climate loss equals 0.34% of building value; that ratio is not a property-specific insurance quote or dollar loss. The record does not publish closed-sale comparables, submarket vacancy or lease concessions, insurance premiums, flood-zone or roof condition, debt terms, or operating costs. Those gaps prevent a net-yield, resale-value, and storm-cost conclusion. Next checks are address-level flood and insurance quotes, tax assessments, signed-rent comparables, and contract-versus-listing sales evidence.