Scotland County’s tension is price evidence without published market rent to test income support. Zillow’s June 2026 county median home value is $149,166, while FHFA’s annual 2025 repeat-transaction HPI rose 18.81%. These are different vintages and methods: FHFA is an appreciation index, not a home value, so they cannot be averaged into one growth rate. Price-focused investigators need property-level verification; cash-flow buyers should be cautious.
Market rent is not published, so gross yield cannot be computed. HUD FMR is $925 per month, but it is a payment standard, not an asking-rent estimate, and cannot substitute for market rent. The effective property-tax rate is 0.93%, and median annual tax is $1,068. Those county figures do not establish a parcel’s tax bill, insurance, repairs, debt service, or net cash flow; price cannot yet be reconciled with rent coverage.
Demand and competition evidence is mixed. QCEW annual covered employment at county workplaces rose 4.96%; this is not resident employment or an unemployment measure. Education and health services is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the entire economy. Tax-return migration was net positive by 67 households, and inbound movers’ average AGI exceeded outbound movers’ by $1,621, but neither identifies tenants. Realtor.com MLS evidence shows active listings up 31.18%, 77 median days on market, and a 17.97% price-reduced share. These are asking-market supply, marketing-time, and seller-concession measures—not closed sales or proof of buyer demand. Non-occupant investor mortgages were 10.96% of 219 purchase mortgages, signaling participation rather than control.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, aligned with a modeled annual climate-loss ratio of 0.14% of building value; it is county-level model output, not a parcel loss estimate. Missing closed-sale comparables, lease and vacancy data, insurance quotes, flood-zone and elevation records, and operating costs prevent a defensible valuation, yield, or resilience conclusion. Next checks should connect a target address to sale comps, leases, tax assessment, insurability, and flood mitigation rather than extrapolate county averages.