Crowley County

Crowley County sits at a median home price of $160,093, down 6.59% year-over-year, which immediately tells you this is a market under price pressure rather than one riding appreciation tailwinds. The affordability index of 96 is among the highest you'll find anywhere in Colorado, reflecting genuine entry-point accessibility rather than a marketing talking point. The problem is the data is incomplete where it matters most for a buy-and-hold underwrite: cap rate, cash-on-cash return, estimated cash flow, and monthly mortgage expenses all come back at zero, which means the rental income side of the equation isn't available to model with confidence. What you can observe is that the purchase price is low enough, at $160,093 with a $32,019 down payment at 6.85%, that monthly debt service will be modest by any reasonable estimate, but without a verified rent figure you're underwriting blind on the income side.

The scores tell the rest of the story quickly. An overall score of 48 out of 100, landing at the 19th national percentile and 27th out of 62 Colorado counties, is a below-median result. The cash flow score is literally zero and the appreciation score is 12, which means this county doesn't cleanly fit either of the two primary buy-and-hold strategies. Stability comes in at 50, which is middling. The only genuinely compelling number here is the affordability score of 96. If an investor can independently verify market rents and confirm a workable rent-to-price ratio, the low acquisition cost gives some room to build yield. But the data as provided doesn't support the conclusion that yield is actually there; it simply suggests the price is low enough that it could be, contingent on local rent verification.

No economic anchor data was provided for Crowley County, which is itself meaningful context. The county has a population of 5,782, a figure small enough that the local economy is likely thin and employer concentration is a real consideration even if specific names aren't available here. A rental portfolio in a market this size is exposed to demographic and economic shocks that larger metros absorb more easily. Single-employer dependency or population outflow can translate directly into vacancy and softening rents, and the 6.59% year-over-year price decline suggests the market is already under some strain.

On carrying costs, the tax and insurance picture is a genuine tailwind. Colorado's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.51% is low enough that it earns a favorable flag, and the combined monthly tax and insurance load on this property comes to $112. That's $1,344 annually, which is well below what you'd carry in a higher-tax state on a similarly priced asset. With a $160,093 purchase price, that cost structure leaves more room for the other expense line items, including maintenance, management, and vacancy reserves, to fit inside a gross rent figure without destroying returns. As always, the 0.51% is a state-average estimate per Tax Foundation 2024 data, and the actual Crowley County or township rate may differ, so confirm with the assessor's office before closing.

The risks here are structural and worth naming plainly. A population of 5,782 means tenant pool depth is limited. The 6.59% price decline in the trailing year, combined with a 12 appreciation score, suggests this isn't a market where equity growth is likely to bail out a weak income return. If rents soften or a property sits vacant for two or three months, the margin of error on a thin-yield investment disappears fast. There is no data here on regulatory environment or landlord-tenant law specifics, but a small rural Colorado county is generally less likely to carry the kind of rent control or eviction restriction exposure you'd face in Denver or Boulder. That's a relative positive, though not a reason to invest on its own.

Against its neighbors, Crowley's $160,093 median stands in sharp contrast to Park County at $512,898, Gilpin at $549,868, and Elbert at $672,698. Even the more affordable neighbors, Las Animas at $236,798 and Prowers at $172,240, carry higher entry prices. Park County provides some useful comparison data: at a rent-to-price ratio of 0.0056 (annual) against a $512,898 median with $2,394 monthly rent, it's running a gross yield of roughly 5.6% annualized, which is a real number you can underwrite. Prowers, with an overall score of 49 versus Crowley's 48 and a median price of $172,240, is close enough in both price and score that an investor shopping this price range should run a direct comparison on verified rents before committing to either. Crowley's lower price is the primary differentiator, but that advantage only converts to better returns if the rent-to-price ratio holds up, which the available data doesn't confirm. Until you can verify local rents independently, Crowley is a market to research further rather than act on.