Deep-dive analysis
Price History
Median Home Price
Median Rent
Stored observations from 2016-06-30 to 2026-06-29. Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI. Missing rents are shown as gaps.
Quick Investment Calculator
Purchase
Monthly Cash Flow
* Based on metro-wide median values. 35% expenses include taxes, insurance, maintenance, vacancy, and property management. Individual counties and properties vary significantly.
Score Breakdown
Based on 4.93% rent-to-price ratio. Higher ratios indicate stronger cash flow potential.
Based on -2.0% YoY price growth. Moderate growth (3-8%) scores highest.
Based on 0.0% population growth. Growing areas indicate economic stability.
Based on price relative to estimated local incomes.
Scores are calculated using real Zillow metro-level home value and rent data, Census population data, and economic indicators. The weighted average produces the overall investment score. This metro score represents area-wide averages; individual counties may vary significantly.
Investment Outlook
Strengths
- +Low unemployment (0.0%)
Challenges
- -Below-average rent-to-price ratio (4.93%)
- -Declining home values (-2.0% YoY)
- -Negative cash flow at typical financing (-$1,188/mo)
- -Negative leverage (cap rate 3.2% < mortgage rate 7.4%)
Counties in Durham, NC
Section 8 in Durham, NC: payment standards by ZIP, PHA waitlist status, and voucher counts are on VoucherMatch, the same HUD dataset with the tenant demand side attached.
Compare to Similar Metros
| Metro Area | Verdict | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Martinsville, VA Martinsville, VA | 64 | $135,588 | $877 | 7.77% | Buy | View | |
Mount Vernon, OH Mount Vernon, OH | 64 | $289,265 | $1,340 | 5.56% | Buy | View | |
Findlay, OH Findlay, OH | 64 | $241,608 | $1,159 | 5.75% | Buy | View | |
Farmington, MO Farmington, MO | 64 | $194,223 | $964 | 5.96% | Buy | View | |
Pierre, SD Pierre, SD | 64 | $299,658 | $1,383 | 5.54% | Buy | View | |
Current Durham, NC | 44 | $414,340 | $1,703 | 4.93% | Avoid |
Rent vs buy in this metro
The Bottom Line
The Durham, NC metro area scores 44/100, ranking #799 of 894 US metros (top 89%). The 4.93% rent-to-price ratio may require targeting specific counties or creative strategies for positive cash flow. Current metro-wide averages make traditional buy-and-hold investing challenging. Consider house hacking, value-add strategies, or drilling down to specific counties.