Macon County

Macon County sits at a median home price of $269,247, up 4.38% year-over-year, with an affordability index of 72 out of 100. The data provided does not include a median rent figure or cap rate, which means no gross yield or cash-on-cash return can be calculated from this dataset. The cash flow score of 0 confirms that this county is not where you go to manufacture monthly income. What the numbers do support is appreciation: an appreciation score of 84 out of 100 places Macon firmly on the right side of the cash-flow-versus-appreciation spectrum. At a national percentile of 81 and a state rank of 7 out of 95 Tennessee counties, this is a market that outperforms most of its peers on price trajectory, not on yield.

That profile suits one type of buyer specifically: the appreciation-oriented investor with a long hold horizon who can tolerate neutral or slightly negative monthly cash flow in exchange for equity accumulation. A 4.38% year-over-year price gain on a $269,247 asset represents roughly $11,800 in paper appreciation annually, and if that trend holds, the total-return picture improves even if monthly cash flow is thin. Value-add operators should be cautious here because without a visible rent ceiling to push against, the spread between acquisition cost and income potential is unclear from this data. Pure cash-flow buyers have no basis to underwrite a position in Macon County from what is provided, and the cash flow score of 0 is a direct signal to look elsewhere if monthly income is the primary objective.

No economic anchor data was provided for this county, so employer concentration, job stability, and institutional demand drivers cannot be addressed from the available inputs. That absence itself is worth noting for underwriting purposes: Macon County has a population of 25,365, which is a small market. Thin population counts can mean thinner rental demand pools, less price support during downturns, and fewer exit options when it is time to sell. The stability score of 50 out of 100 reflects that risk directly. This is not a market with the demand depth of a regional employment hub, and any underwrite should price in a conservative vacancy assumption to account for it.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance figure is $240, using a state-average property tax rate of 0.71% and an insurance rate of 0.36%. That tax rate carries a "normal" flag, meaning it is neither a tailwind nor a headwind worth isolating on its own. Applied to a $269,247 purchase, annual property tax runs approximately $1,912 and annual insurance approximately $969, for a total of $2,881 per year. These are manageable figures, and the tax rate does not require special attention in your underwrite the way a rate above 1.5% would. The standard caveat applies: 0.71% is a state-average estimate from Tax Foundation 2024 data, and the actual county or township rate in Macon may differ, so verify the assessor's rate before closing.

The principal risk in Macon County is concentration in a small, low-population market without a visible economic anchor to underpin long-term rental demand. A stability score of 50 means roughly half of the counties in the dataset are more stable than this one. Price appreciation of 4.38% annually is meaningful, but small markets can reverse quickly when local conditions shift, and illiquidity at exit is a real consideration with a buyer pool this size. No vacancy or crime data is provided here, so those risks cannot be quantified, but any investor entering a 25,000-person county should stress-test demand assumptions harder than they would in a larger market.

Compared to its neighbors, Macon's overall score of 70 leads Rhea County at 68, Lincoln County at 68, and Carroll County at 63, while trailing Claiborne County at 74 and Anderson County at 62 on score but $32,000 higher in price than Claiborne. Anderson County, at $301,800 median and a 6.36% rent-to-price ratio with a $1,601 median rent, actually shows a calculable gross yield that Macon's data does not support, making Anderson the stronger underwriting candidate if income matters at all. Claiborne County at $228,611 and an overall score of 74 offers a lower entry price and a better composite score, which makes it the more compelling choice for investors who want both relative affordability and market quality metrics. Choose Macon over its neighbors specifically when your thesis is price appreciation in a Tennessee county that ranks in the top 7 statewide on that metric, you have the capital to carry a position without relying on rent income, and you have verified a specific rental demand driver that the available data does not yet capture.