Appling County

Appling County lands in the 95th percentile nationally out of 1,000 counties scored, ranking 4th in Georgia out of 159, which immediately signals this is not a market most investors are looking at. The median home price sits at $165,194, up 3.4% year-over-year, and the affordability index scores 95 out of 100, making entry cost one of the county's clearest advantages. The appreciation score of 81 is the standout metric here, suggesting the model sees meaningful price growth potential relative to peers. Cash flow scores are not available in the underlying data, so investors should run their own rent comps carefully before underwriting income. What the overall score of 76 and the appreciation tilt tell you is that this market sits closer to the appreciation end of the spectrum than the cash-flow end, though the low entry price at $165,194 leaves room for a deal to work if rents support it locally.

The appreciation score of 81 makes Appling most interesting to a buy-and-hold investor with a 5-to-10-year horizon who is comfortable with some income uncertainty in the near term. At $165,194, you are not overpaying for optionality on price growth. An affordability index of 95 also suggests the local population is not priced out of homeownership, which can be a double-edged sword: tenants who can afford to buy eventually will, but it also means you are competing for residents in a market where housing costs are not a burden, which tends to keep vacancy manageable. A value-add operator who can buy below median, renovate, and reposition to capture higher rents would also find the entry price hospitable. A pure cash-flow buyer focused on maximizing monthly spread should approach cautiously until rent data confirms the numbers work, given the cash flow score is unrated rather than confirmed positive.

On the carry-cost side, the combined monthly tax and insurance estimate comes to $176, based on a state-average effective property tax rate of 0.92% and an insurance rate of 0.36% applied to the $165,194 purchase price. Georgia's 0.92% state-average rate falls in the normal range and is not a pressure point on the underwrite the way a 1.5%-plus rate would be. That said, the note in the data is worth taking seriously: this is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024, and actual Appling County or township-level rates may differ, so pull the county assessor's millage rate before you finalize your numbers. At $595 annually for insurance, hazard cost is not alarming, though Georgia does carry wind and storm exposure that can push individual policy premiums above the state average depending on the specific property and carrier.

No economic anchor or employer data was provided for Appling County, so this analysis will not speculate about the local job base. What the stability score of 50 does tell you is that the market scores at the midpoint on that dimension, meaning neither a resilient institutional job base nor a fragile single-employer situation is confirmed by the model. Investors relying on tenant stability should conduct independent due diligence on the local employment mix, particularly given the county's population of 18,441, a size at which concentration in one or two industries or employers can materially move vacancy rates.

The county's small population is the most concrete risk the data surfaces. At 18,441 residents, the rental pool is shallow by definition. A single large employer contraction, a demographic outflow, or a new competing rental development can shift supply-demand dynamics faster than in a market with 100,000-plus residents. Regulatory and legislative risk is not flagged in the data, so no specific concern is raised there, but Georgia's landlord-friendly legal environment generally applies statewide.

Among the five neighboring counties provided, Sumter County at $136,879 and an overall score of 80 is the most direct competitor for an investor's attention: lower price, higher score. If your thesis is appreciation with affordable entry, Sumter's higher score at a lower price point deserves side-by-side underwriting. Lanier County scores 73 with a median price of $210,779 and a rent-to-price ratio of 0.098, which is a useful data point because it suggests the surrounding region can support rents that make a sub-$170,000 purchase reasonably viable if Appling's rents are in a similar range. Decatur County at $171,230 and a score of 77 is essentially a peer to Appling on price and overall rating, so the decision between them would come down to local rent comps and economic anchors. Toombs and Tattnall counties score 72 and 71 respectively, both below Appling's 76, at prices of $169,068 and $188,123, meaning Appling offers a better score at a lower price than either. Choose Appling over its lower-scoring neighbors when the specific rent comps and your due diligence on local employment confirm demand; choose Sumter instead if price minimization and a higher composite score are the deciding criteria.