Marshall County presents a decision tension: a reported 7.24% gross yield at a $248,841 Zillow median home value and $1,501 median asking rent, versus carrying-cost and liquidity questions that county aggregates cannot settle. Income-focused buyers should investigate property-level rents and flood exposure; buyers relying on quick resale or fully leveraged cash flow should be cautious.
The $1,501 figure is measured market asking rent, whereas HUD's two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a payment standard, not asking rent and must not be substituted into yield. The reported gross yield is before operating costs. Zillow's county value increased 2.75%, while FHFA's repeat-transaction HPI annual measure rose 1.77% and its five-year cumulative change was 59.45%. These are different methods and periods, not one growth rate. The effective property-tax rate is 0.36%, and median annual tax is $733.
Realtor.com's MLS listing-market evidence shows 534 active listings, a 94-day median marketing time, and 23.02% of listings price-reduced. These describe visible asking supply, time marketed, and seller concessions; they are neither closed-sale prices nor standalone proof of buyer demand. Tax-return migration was net positive by 152 households, with in-movers' average AGI above out-movers', but that does not establish renter demand. Investor mortgages represented 10.67% of purchase mortgages, indicating competition exists but not the all-cash or total-owner mix. QCEW tracks covered jobs at county workplaces, not residents; manufacturing is its largest disclosed private supersector.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled climate loss equals 0.16% of building value per year at county level, not a parcel loss estimate. Missing published evidence includes flood zone and elevation, insurance quotes, condition, unit-level rent comps, vacancy, repairs, utilities, debt terms, and closed-sale comps. Without it, an underwriter cannot determine net yield, insurance-adjusted cash flow, or exit valuation; QCEW cannot fill those gaps.