Northampton County, PA

Northampton County presents a yield-versus-carrying-cost tension: the supplied $379,502 median home value and $1,912 monthly median asking rent produce a 6.05% gross yield before costs, while property taxes and inland-flood exposure can consume that spread. Income-focused buyers should investigate individual assets; buyers assuming low ownership costs or uncomplicated insurability should be cautious. Zillow’s county observation and FHFA’s annual observation use distinct methods and supplied vintages.

Zillow reports 3.03% year-over-year value growth, but the 1.52% effective property-tax rate requires parcel-level verification because a county rate is not a specific bill. HUD’s two-bedroom FMR is $1,634 monthly, a payment standard rather than an asking-rent estimate; although measured asking rent is higher, FMR cannot substitute for market rent in the gross-yield calculation. FHFA’s repeat-transaction HPI rose 6.15% in its supplied annual observation. That index supports an appreciation direction, but it is not a dollar home value and cannot be averaged with Zillow’s change.

Realtor.com’s MLS listing-market evidence shows median asking prices down 2.58%; its reported marketing time and price-reduction share indicate listing exposure and seller concessions, not closed-sale pricing or buyer demand alone. The supplied migration calculation is positive by 367 tax-return households, yet inbound movers’ average AGI is $3,930 below outbound movers’, limiting a simple demand reading. The record shows 340 investor purchases among 2,955 total purchases, or 11.51%, so investor competition exists but does not define all buyer activity. QCEW annual covered workplace employment rose 1.51%; Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy.

The modeled annual climate-loss ratio is 0.13%, consistent with inland flood as the dominant hazard. It is a modeled building-value loss ratio, not a parcel-specific loss estimate, flood-zone determination, or insurance quote. The record does not publish closed-sale comparables, unit lease terms, vacancy, operating expenses, property-level tax bills, insurance quotes, flood claims, or financing terms. Those gaps prevent net-yield and debt-service underwriting and limit any exit-price conclusion.