Meade County presents a valuation-to-income tension: Zillow’s 2026-06 median home value is $400,665 against a measured median asking rent of $1,406 per month, producing the supplied 4.21% gross yield before costs. That modest income return makes this a diligence case for operators who can document expenses and leasing depth, rather than a simple price-appreciation case; buyers dependent on thin carrying-cost margins should be cautious.
HUD’s two-bedroom FMR of $1,273 is a payment standard, not asking rent, and must not substitute for the published market-rent measure. The effective property-tax rate is 1.01%, with a median annual tax bill of $3,129, so taxes are material against the stated pre-cost yield. Zillow’s 2026-06 county value reading was higher year over year, while FHFA’s 2025 annual repeat-transaction HPI rose 9.61%. Both point upward but arise from distinct methods and observation periods; FHFA is not a home value and the rates should not be blended.
Realtor.com’s MLS snapshot is mixed rather than proof of closing demand: 108 active listings were down 10.79%, yet median marketing time was 50 days and 21.4% of listings had price reductions. In-movers outnumbered out-movers and reported higher average AGI, a constructive but limited tax-return migration signal. Investors made 7.32% of the 314 purchases, indicating competition exists but is not the dominant observed buyer channel. QCEW’s annual average shows covered workplace employment growth, not resident employment or a forecast; Trade, transportation, and utilities is its largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy.
Modeled climate loss equals 0.21% of building value per year, and inland flood is the stated dominant hazard; this is modeled loss, not a site-specific insurance quote. Missing closed-sale prices, vacancy, operating expenses, debt terms, flood-zone and insurance quotes, property condition, and lease-level rent prevent a net-cash-flow or purchase-price conclusion. Verify those items, the tax assessment basis, and submarket lease competition before treating county measures as property underwriting.