Williamson County’s decision tension is a $931,035 median home value versus a $2,177 monthly median asking rent and a 2.81% gross yield before costs. Investors requiring durable current cash flow or broad affordability support should be cautious; those assessing premium rentals should investigate property-specific rent resilience and expenses. Zillow supplies the measured market rent and value; the yield uses market rent, not HUD FMR.
At Zillow’s county observation, rent growth outpaced value growth, but that does not settle affordability or returns. Separately, the FHFA 2025 repeat-transaction HPI rose 2.84% annually and 68.76% over five years. It is an appreciation index rather than a home value and should not be averaged with Zillow’s data. HUD’s $1,730 two-bedroom FMR is a payment standard, not market asking rent. The 0.40% effective property-tax rate and $3,004 median annual tax further limit the pre-cost yield.
Realtor.com’s 2026-06 MLS listing-market evidence points to more seller negotiation, not proof of weak demand: 1,599 active listings were up 7.64%, median marketing time was 53 days, and 18.89% had price reductions. Tax-return migration was positive by 372 households, while movers-in reported $38,286 more average AGI than movers-out. Investors represented a calculated 5.64% of 3,619 purchases, indicating some competition but not that they set prices. QCEW measures annual covered jobs at county workplaces, not resident employment or a forecast.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard; modeled climate loss equals 0.13% of building value per year, a county-level model rather than a parcel loss estimate. Flood-zone status, elevation, insurance, drainage, replacement cost, lease terms, vacancy, turnover, financing and operating expenses are not published. Those gaps prevent verification of net yield, debt coverage and flood-adjusted cash flow, and prevent treating county listing conditions as a specific property outcome.