New Castle County poses an income-versus-market-balance tension: its published 6.22% gross yield permits a preliminary rental screen, while Realtor.com’s active MLS listings increased 24.29% at its supplied observation, adding visible supply. It merits investigation by buyers prepared to test flood exposure and operating costs address by address; those relying on further price gains should be cautious. Zillow’s county observation for 2026-06 put median home value at $374,569 and median asking rent at $1,940 per month.
That yield represents annual market rent before expenses, not net cash flow. Zillow’s median value rose 2.05% year over year at that observation. Separately, FHFA’s repeat-transaction HPI rose 2.82% in 2025; it is an appreciation index rather than a home value. The Zillow and FHFA measures have different methods and observation labels and must not be averaged. The effective property-tax rate is 0.71%, requiring parcel-level validation against assessments and tax bills. HUD FMR is a payment standard, not an asking-rent estimate or yield input.
Listing-market evidence is not proof of closed-sale demand: active listings are visible supply, while days on market, price reductions and pending data are not sale prices. QCEW’s annual average reports county workplace covered employment grew 0.68%; Education and health services is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the entire economy or a resident-employment measure. Investor mortgages were 519 of 5,755 purchases, or 9.02%, indicating a defined competitor cohort rather than total buyer composition. Tax-return migration was positive by 234 households, but moving-in households’ average AGI was $1,615 lower than movers’ average; this does not establish income-led demand.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled expected annual climate loss equals 0.14% of building value; it is a modeled ratio rather than a property-specific loss or insurance quote. Missing flood-zone, elevation, insurance, condition, debt terms, vacancy, repair, and neighborhood closed-sale/rent-comp evidence prevent calculation of net yield, debt-service coverage, replacement-cost exposure, or exit value. Verify tax assessments, insurance and flood history, lease comps, buyer financing, and purchase-mortgage composition before treating county evidence as property underwriting.