Roane County’s decision tension is a low reported value base alongside upward price indicators but an unproved income case. Zillow’s county observation for 2026-06 puts median home value at $132,472 and reports a year-over-year increase; FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI shows a 41.63% cumulative five-year increase. The series have different methods and vintages and should not be combined; neither is a current closed-sale price. Buyers able to validate rent, insurance, and condition property by property should investigate, while buyers requiring demonstrated income performance should be cautious.
Housing economics cannot be underwritten from this record: county market asking rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be calculated. The $869 HUD FMR for a two-bedroom is a payment standard, not market rent and not a yield substitute. The effective property-tax rate is 0.44%, a partial carrying-cost input rather than tax for a particular acquisition. Insurance, vacancy, repairs, utilities, parcel assessments, and operating history are not published; their absence prevents an all-in cash-flow conclusion.
Realtor.com’s 2026-06 MLS listing market shows active supply higher year over year, while median listing price rose 23.97% and 15.35% of listings carried price reductions. These are asking-price and seller-concession measures, not sale prices or proof of buyer demand. Migration was net negative by 26 tax-return households, although inbound movers’ average AGI exceeded outbound movers’ by $2,085; the income gap does not offset the net count in an underwriting demand test. Investor participation was 4.76% of 84 purchases, indicating limited observed non-owner purchase activity rather than a measure of renter demand.
Risk limits deserve separate treatment. Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled annual climate loss is 0.35% of building value; it is neither a parcel-level insurance quote nor a dollar-loss estimate. In 2025, QCEW annual covered employment at county workplaces fell 4.71%; Education and health services was the largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy. QCEW is not resident employment or unemployment. Obtain flood-zone, elevation, insurance, replacement-cost, lease, and closed-sale evidence before reaching parcel cash-flow, resale-price, or hazard-cost conclusions.