Washington County’s decision tension is expensive entry against a thin gross-income margin: a $694,918 Zillow median home value pairs with $2,516 median monthly asking rent and a stated 4.34% gross yield before costs. Buyers who can diligence parcel expenses and inland-flood exposure should investigate; buyers needing a broad current-income cushion should be cautious. In the Zillow county observation, home value and asking rent were higher year over year, with rent up 5.95%, a directionally supportive but still cost-sensitive setup.
Measured market asking rent, rather than HUD FMR, supports that yield. The $1,729 HUD two-bedroom FMR is a payment standard, not an asking-rent estimate; supplied market rent is 45.5% above it. An effective property-tax rate of 1.00% and $5,102 median annual property tax add to the carrying-cost screen. Those county measures cannot be mechanically applied to the median-value property because assessment and parcel characteristics differ; they also do not supply maintenance, vacancy or financing costs, so no net yield can be determined.
Realtor.com’s MLS evidence shows 299 active listings, a median 32 days on market, and 7% price-reduced. These are visible supply, marketing-time and seller-concession measures, not closed-sale prices or proof of demand. Tax-return migration was net outflow, although movers in had higher average income. QCEW records annual covered jobs at county workplaces, not resident employment or unemployment, and rising covered wages; Manufacturing is the largest disclosed private supersector, not the whole economy. Non-occupant investors made 115 of 1,185 purchases, or 9.7%, indicating participation rather than control.
FHFA’s repeat-transaction HPI rose 6.27%; it is an index, not a dollar value. Its supplied period differs from Zillow’s, so directions can be compared but growth rates cannot be averaged. Modeled annual building-value loss is 0.10%, aligned with inland flood, but county modeling does not establish parcel flood, insurance or mitigation burden. Property-level flood-zone, elevation and insurance evidence, lease comps, operating statements and closed-sale comps are not published. Without them, net income, insurability and exit liquidity cannot be determined.