Scott County, IA

Scott County’s decision tension is that a reported 4.99% gross-rent yield sits beside carrying-cost and flood diligence. Zillow’s county observation labeled 2026-06 places median home value at $253,570 and median asking market rent at $1,055 monthly. This is a property-level rent-validation case for investors able to inspect specific assets; buyers unable to price insurance, taxes and flood exposure should be cautious.

Zillow’s home value and measured asking market rent rose 4.32% and 4.13%, respectively. The reported yield is gross and before costs; an effective property-tax rate of 1.47% makes carrying-cost review material. HUD FMR is a payment standard rather than asking rent and cannot replace the measured rent or generate another yield. FHFA’s annual repeat-transaction HPI observation labeled 2025 rose 4.09%. It supports Zillow’s directional signal but is neither a home value nor a growth rate to average with Zillow’s differently dated and constructed series.

Realtor.com records 361 active MLS listings, 7.32% fewer than its prior-year count, while 10.25% had price reductions. These are visible-supply and seller-concession indicators, not closed-sale prices or proof of buyer demand. Net migration was 150 tax-return households, yet the calculated inbound-versus-outbound average AGI gap was negative $5,977, which tempers the headline inflow. Investor purchases were 308 of 2,461, or 12.52%: a meaningful mortgage-purchase participant, though the record does not identify cash buyers or property types.

QCEW reports 93,000 annual covered jobs at county workplaces, up 2.26%; this is not resident employment, unemployment or a forecast. Trade, transportation, and utilities is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the entire economy. Inland flood is the dominant hazard; modeled expected annual building-value loss is 0.12%, not a property-specific loss forecast. Lease comps by unit type, vacancy, turnover, operating expenses, insurance and flood coverage, debt terms, flood-zone and claims data, and closed-sale comps are not published. Their absence prevents an NOI, cash-flow, resale and property-risk conclusion.