Waldo County presents a tension: a published positive gross-yield screen sits beside looser visible listing conditions and inland-flood carrying-risk questions. At Zillow’s 2026-06 county reading, median home value was $352,235 and median asking rent was $1,892 per month, supporting the published 6.45% gross yield before costs. This is a county to investigate for buyers able to validate insurance, operating expenses and achievable rent at the parcel level; it warrants caution for any thesis dependent on quick resale or untested rents.
Market asking rent is measured rent; HUD Fair Market Rent is a payment standard, not an asking-rent estimate and not a substitute in yield work. The effective property-tax rate was 1.04%, so the stated yield is not net of tax or other costs. Separately, FHFA’s repeat-transaction HPI rose 7.13% in its 2025 annual observation; it is an index rather than a home value and should not be averaged with Zillow’s differently dated measure. Modeled annual climate loss of 0.12% of building value is consistent with inland flood being the dominant hazard, elevating flood coverage, deductibles and mitigation in underwriting.
QCEW annual covered jobs at workplaces in the county fell 0.08% year over year while the covered-worker average weekly wage rose 3.52%; these are neither resident employment nor a forecast. Realtor.com’s MLS evidence shows median listing prices down 4.52% and active listings up 30.61%; these are asking-price and visible-supply measures, not closed sales or proof of buyer demand. Net migration was 153 tax-return households, with incoming movers’ average income $419 above outgoing movers’; this is a limited demographic signal, not asset-level demand evidence. Investor share was 5.36% across 392 purchases, indicating observed non-owner participation without showing the target asset’s buyer mix.
The record does not publish property-specific flood maps, insurance quotations, condition and repair scope, lease terms, vacancy, operating expenses, or closed-sale comparables. Their absence prevents conversion of gross yield into net cash flow, confirmation of insurability, and a conclusion that MLS adjustments are executable purchase prices. County-level migration, QCEW and purchase data also cannot identify the relevant neighborhood, tenant base or property type.