Lexington County, SC

Lexington County’s decision tension is a stated 7.3% gross yield versus a listing market showing more seller accommodation. Investors able to underwrite a specific home and operating costs should investigate; buyers relying on rapid resale, untested rent, or thin expense coverage should be cautious. At 2026-06, Zillow reports a $276,030 median home value and $1,679 monthly median asking rent. This is market-rent evidence, and the stated yield is before costs, not a cash-flow estimate.

County-level housing economics require full carrying-cost modeling. The effective property-tax rate is 0.49%; assessment treatment, insurance and maintenance are not published here, so net yield and debt coverage cannot be determined. HUD’s $1,276 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a payment standard, not an asking-rent estimate; it must not replace measured market rent. FHFA’s repeat-transaction HPI rose 3.73% in its 2025 annual observation, directionally consistent with Zillow’s positive price change, but their different supplied vintages and methods cannot be averaged into appreciation.

Realtor.com’s 2026-06 MLS evidence frames buyer competition rather than closings: 1,056 active listings had increased, with longer marketing time and price reductions. These are visible supply, marketing-time and seller-concession signals—not sale prices or standalone proof of buyer demand. QCEW annual covered employment at county workplaces grew 1.12%; it is not resident employment, unemployment or a forecast. Net migration was 1,097 tax-return households, and inbound movers had higher average income than outbound movers; this is a demand clue, not tenant qualification evidence. Investors accounted for 203 of 4,535 purchases, or 4.48%, recording limited non-owner participation.

Inland flood is the dominant hazard; modeled expected climate loss equals 0.13% of building value per year, a model output rather than a parcel loss estimate. Flood zone, elevation, prior claims, insurance quote, lease-up history, vacancy, repairs, financing terms and sale comparables are not published. Their absence prevents a parcel-level net return, resilience cost and exit-liquidity conclusion. Next checks are address-specific flood and insurance files, actual comparable leases and expenses, and closed-sale versus active-listing evidence.