Screven County

Screven County's median home price sits at $192,423 with year-over-year appreciation of 7.54%, producing an affordability index of 89 out of 100. The data does not supply a cap rate, cash-on-cash return, or rent estimate for Screven itself, which means the cash-flow picture cannot be built from the ground up here. What the scoring confirms explicitly is that the cash-flow score registers at zero while the appreciation score hits 94 out of 100, placing Screven firmly at the appreciation end of the spectrum. This is not a market where you pencil in day-one income and call it done; it is a market where the thesis is price growth, and the 7.54% trailing appreciation number gives that thesis a concrete data point to lean on.

The investor this market suits is one who can carry a property without relying on net cash flow to cover overhead, and who is buying into a low-price-point county where even modest percentage appreciation translates into meaningful equity. At a $192,423 purchase price with a 20% down payment of $38,485, the capital outlay is manageable for a buy-and-hold investor who wants a foothold in a Georgia county ranked 13th nationally out of 1,000 counties tracked, placing it in the 98th percentile overall and second in Georgia out of 159 counties. Those rankings are driven by the appreciation and affordability scores, not by income generation, so the right buyer here is an equity-focused operator willing to wait, not a cash-flow buyer who needs the property to service itself from month one. Value-add operators may find the low price point attractive as an entry vehicle, but without rent data in this county's profile, any income projection would require independent market research before committing capital.

The stability score of 50 out of 100 is the number that deserves the most attention alongside the appreciation story. A county of 14,026 people with no economic anchors provided in the data carries real concentration risk by definition. Small-population counties are more sensitive to single-employer disruption, demographic drift, and demand shocks than metro-adjacent markets, and a stability score at the midpoint of the scale is the model's way of flagging that the appreciation trajectory, while real in the trailing data, is not guaranteed by a deep or diversified economic base. Investors should conduct independent due diligence on the local employment picture before treating the 7.54% appreciation figure as a forward-looking baseline.

On carry costs, the tax and insurance picture is manageable. Using the Georgia state-average effective property tax rate of 0.92%, Screven generates an estimated $1,770 in annual property tax on a $192,423 home. Insurance runs an estimated $693 annually at the 0.36% rate applied. Combined, that is $205 per month in tax and insurance before mortgage, maintenance, or vacancy. The property tax flag is "normal," meaning this line item is not an unusual headwind, though investors should verify the actual Screven County millage rate directly, since the 0.92% figure is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024 data and county or township rates can differ meaningfully from that figure. At $205 per month combined, carry costs are not prohibitive at this price point, but they are real on a property where the cash-flow score is zero, so every dollar of overhead matters.

Looking at the neighboring counties, the comparison clarifies where Screven sits. Sumter County has a lower median price of $136,878 and a marginally higher overall score of 80, which suggests it may offer better accessibility for capital-constrained buyers, though it likely carries similar or weaker appreciation dynamics. Lanier County, with a median of $210,779, a rent-to-price ratio of 0.098, and a median rent of $1,723, presents a direct contrast: it scores lower overall at 73 but actually has income data that supports underwriting, making it the better choice for an investor who needs cash flow to work. Decatur County at $171,230 and Toombs County at $169,068 score 77 and 72 respectively, both below Screven's 79 overall. Tattnall County, priced close to Screven at $188,123, scores 71. Screven's case for selection over its neighbors rests entirely on its appreciation score of 94 and its national ranking, not on income metrics. If the investment thesis is equity accumulation in a low-entry-cost Georgia market and the investor has the liquidity to carry the property without relying on rental income projections, Screven's ranking argues for it. If the thesis requires demonstrable rent yield, Lanier County's 9.8% gross rent-to-price ratio makes a stronger starting case despite its lower overall score.