Yates County presents a pricing-versus-listing-market tension that warrants property-level diligence, especially for buyers relying on near-term rent coverage; those unable to validate rent and flood costs should be cautious. Zillow’s 2026-06 county median home value was $327,438, up 3.56% year over year. FHFA’s 2025 repeat-transaction HPI rose 6.38%; it supports positive price direction but is not a home value and uses a different period and method. Conversely, Realtor.com’s 2026-06 MLS listing market recorded median asking prices down 6.96%, active listings up 75%, and 54 median days on market. These are visible supply and seller-marketing measures, not closed-sale prices or standalone proof of buyer demand.
HUD’s $1,097 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is a payment standard, not market asking rent. Market rent has not been published, so gross yield cannot be computed and should not be inferred from FMR. The 1.88% effective property-tax rate is a carrying-cost input that requires parcel-level confirmation; it neither establishes the tax bill for a target property nor resolves income coverage. Rent rolls, achieved rents, vacancy, utilities, maintenance, and insurance costs are therefore central missing inputs for housing economics.
The 2025 QCEW annual average shows covered employment at county workplaces grew 3.59%, while the average weekly covered-worker wage rose 5.68%. This is neither resident employment nor an unemployment measure. Education and health services is the largest disclosed private supersector, so employer and tenant exposure beyond that sector needs checking. Tax-return migration was net negative by 27 households, although incoming movers’ average AGI exceeded outgoing movers’ by $23,087. The record reports 26 investor purchases among 221 total purchases, or 11.76%, a defined source of buyer competition rather than proof of rental demand in a particular segment.
Inland flood is the dominant hazard, while modeled expected annual building-value loss is 0.15%. That county ratio does not establish a parcel’s flood exposure, insurance availability, deductible, or repair interruption. Missing flood-zone, elevation, insurance-quote, operating-cost, and lease evidence prevents an all-in cash-flow conclusion. Closed-sale comparables and property-condition review are also needed to determine whether the MLS listing adjustment reflects completed transactions or only seller expectations.