Saint John the Baptist Parish

Saint John the Baptist Parish sits at a median home price of $202,315 with home values essentially flat, down just 0.08% year-over-year. The data provided does not include a median rent figure or cap rate calculation, which means underwriting to a specific yield here requires investors to source local rent comps independently before committing. The cash flow score of 0 and a cap rate that comes back as zero in the model are signals the tool cannot confirm positive spread at current pricing and a 6.85% mortgage rate, not that rents are necessarily inadequate, but that the numbers need to be stress-tested with actual lease data from the submarket before drawing conclusions. The affordability index of 87 and a median price just above $202,000 keep the entry bar low relative to national averages, which matters for both leverage math and the tenant pool depth.

Given the absence of a confirmed rent-to-price ratio, this market is difficult to categorize cleanly as a cash-flow play right now. The appreciation score sits at 50 out of 100 and the stability score also at 50, both squarely median, meaning the data does not support a thesis built on price growth either. An investor chasing yield needs to run their own rent survey before underwriting, and an appreciation buyer should note that flat year-over-year pricing gives no recent evidence of upward momentum. The profile that fits best here is a value-add operator who can buy a distressed asset at or below the $202,315 median, force equity through renovation, and set rents at the top of the local range where the thin purchase price at least provides margin for repositioning. The affordability score of 87 is the most constructive number in the dataset: tenants can qualify here, and that keeps occupancy risk manageable if the unit is priced correctly.

The data does not include economic anchors or employer detail for Saint John the Baptist Parish, so no conclusions about job base or demand drivers can be drawn from this dataset. Investors should research the local employment mix independently, particularly given the parish's location in the River Region corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which is context the data does not quantify.

On carry costs, the tax and insurance picture is a genuine tailwind. The state-average effective property tax rate is 0.55%, flagged as low, and combined with an insurance rate of 0.66%, the blended monthly tax-and-insurance load is $204 on a $202,315 asset. That is a meaningful underwriting cushion. Louisiana's insurance environment has been volatile in recent years due to hurricane exposure, and the 0.66% figure here is a state-average estimate that may understate actual premiums in coastal-adjacent parishes. Investors should get real insurance quotes specific to this parish before finalizing any underwrite. The tax side is a legitimate positive: at 0.55%, the rate is low enough to keep holding costs lean, and that arithmetic holds even if rents come in below expectations.

The primary risk embedded in this data is the missing rent signal. A cap rate of zero in the model and a cash flow score of zero are not hard negatives, but they are flags that the dataset cannot confirm a workable spread. A population of 41,986 also means this is a small market, and small markets carry concentration risk: a single large employer departure or a weather event can shift vacancy materially. No vacancy data is provided here, but small-market dynamics mean the investor needs a longer hold horizon and a higher cash reserve than a comparable investment in a deeper market.

Against its neighbors, Saint John the Baptist Parish's $202,315 median is mid-range. Rapides Parish comes in lower at $165,369 with a rent-to-price ratio of 7.05% and the same overall score of 61, meaning Rapides offers a confirmed, higher yield at a lower price point and deserves serious consideration if cash flow is the priority. Plaquemines Parish posts the highest rent-to-price ratio in the peer set at 7.67% against a $266,075 median, which produces better yield math but requires significantly more capital. Bossier Parish at $237,022 and a 6.88% ratio is priced above Saint John the Baptist with a confirmed rent figure of $1,359, offering a cleaner underwrite than this parish at a higher entry cost. Saint John the Baptist makes the most sense over its neighbors only if an investor can source an off-market deal well below the $202,315 median, use the low tax rate to keep carry costs contained, and establish rents through direct market research that the current dataset cannot provide. Without that rent confirmation, Rapides Parish is the more defensible choice in the Louisiana peer group on the numbers alone.