Scott County’s central tension is that a measured 5.30% gross yield sits beside a softer county workplace-employment signal and inland-flood exposure. It warrants property-level work for operators able to verify flood insurance, taxes and lease comparables; buyers depending on appreciation or rapid resale should be cautious. Zillow’s June 2026 county median home value was $345,530 and median asking rent was $1,527 per month, up 4.07% and 4.44%, respectively, year over year. These are county measures, not a property appraisal or a lease quote.
That yield is based on annual market rent before operating costs and therefore is not net cash flow. The 0.66% effective property-tax rate and $1,908 median annual tax identify one carrying cost, but insurance, repairs, financing, vacancy and flood mitigation are not published. HUD FMR is $1,272 monthly; it is a payment standard, not an estimate of asking rent, and should not substitute for the measured market rent. FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI increased 4.05% annually and 56.54% over five years. It corroborates positive price direction, but is neither a home value nor the same vintage or method as Zillow.
Realtor.com’s MLS listing-market evidence shows 145 active listings, 28.57% fewer than a year earlier, while 12.64% of listings had price reductions. Reduced visible supply can coexist with seller concessions; neither asking-price behavior nor inventory proves closed-sale demand. Net migration was positive, and average in-mover AGI exceeded average out-mover AGI by $2,698, a favorable composition signal with no proof that movers are homebuyers or renters. Investor purchases represented 8.43% of all purchase mortgages, signaling participation but not a dominant buyer base or investor rent performance.
Labor support needs scrutiny: QCEW annual covered employment at county workplaces declined 0.64%, while Manufacturing, the largest disclosed private supersector, accounted for 44.94% of private covered jobs. This is not resident employment, unemployment, or a forecast. Modeled annual climate loss equals 0.11% of building value and aligns with inland flood as the dominant hazard; it is not a property-specific loss estimate. Missing flood-zone, insurance and elevation data prevent a reliable net-yield conclusion; missing closed-sale, lease, vacancy and property-condition evidence prevents a defensible purchase-price and rent-underwriting conclusion.