Upshur County is a low-price, measured-rent case whose headline yield must be weighed against conflicting price evidence and a small visible listing base. Investors able to verify parcel-level flood exposure, condition and operating costs should investigate; those requiring dependable exit-price evidence or broad employment momentum should be cautious. Zillow’s 2026-06 median home value was $157,014; its median asking rent was $924 per month, producing a reported 7.06% gross yield before costs.
Measured asking rent—not HUD’s two-bedroom Fair Market Rent, which is a payment standard rather than an estimate of asking rent—supports that yield. The effective property-tax rate was 0.42%, but insurance, repairs, vacancy, financing and flood-related costs are not published; net cash flow therefore cannot be underwritten. Zillow’s value measure rose 3.93% year over year, while FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI fell 0.92% annually after a 45.04% five-year cumulative advance. The different methods and vintages should not be blended into an appreciation rate.
Realtor.com’s MLS listing-market evidence recorded 27 active listings, down 33.75%; it is visible asking supply, not closed-sale evidence or proof of buyer demand alone. The 18.41% price-reduced share adds evidence of seller concessions. QCEW’s 2025 annual average of covered jobs at county workplaces declined 0.55%; this is neither resident employment nor a forecast. Education and health services was the largest disclosed private supersector, a concentration check rather than a description of the entire economy.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, and modeled climate loss equals 0.27% of building value per year, a carrying-cost and insurability diligence item rather than a parcel forecast. Migration was negative by 61 tax-return households, and incoming movers’ average income was $103 below outgoing movers’; neither establishes tenant demand. Only 2 of 118 purchase mortgages went to non-occupants, a 1.69% investor share, limiting evidence of investor competition. Next checks are parcel flood and insurance terms, lease-level rent collection and expenses, comparable closed sales, and unit condition; their absence prevents a defensible net-return and resale-liquidity conclusion.