Wirt County

Wirt County comes in with a median home price of $115,069 and essentially flat year-over-year appreciation at 0.04%. The affordability index hits 100, the ceiling of the scale, which tells you entry cost is about as low as it gets. What's missing from the data is a median rent figure and corresponding rent-to-price ratio, which means cap rate and cash-on-cash return both show as zero in the model. That's not a signal that this market produces no income; it's a signal that rental comps thin out enough at this population level (5,202 people) that reliable rent estimates aren't available. Any underwrite here requires boots-on-the-ground rent surveys, not a top-down model. What the data does confirm is that you're buying at the low end of the price range and carrying a 6.85% rate on roughly $92,055 in financed principal, with tax and insurance adding only $82 per month combined.

The profile here suits a very specific type of buyer: someone who wants to minimize capital at risk, can do primary rent research locally, and is not counting on appreciation to bail out a bad entry. The near-zero price growth over the past year, combined with a population of just over 5,000, makes this a cash-flow-or-nothing proposition in theory, but the model can't confirm the cash flow because rent data is absent. An appreciation buyer has almost nothing to hang a thesis on at 0.04% annual growth. A value-add operator working with cheap acquisition costs could find opportunity if local rents support it, given that a $115,069 purchase price leaves room for margin even after renovation, but that conclusion depends entirely on what rents actually clear in the market, which you will need to determine independently.

The tax and insurance picture is a genuine tailwind. West Virginia's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.59% is low enough to matter, and the model flags it accordingly. On a $115,069 home, that translates to roughly $679 in annual property tax and $299 in annual insurance, landing at $82 per month combined for tax and insurance carry. That's a real number worth noting on your underwrite: in markets where tax and insurance routinely run $250 to $400 per month, the $82 figure here meaningfully widens the window for cash flow, assuming rents are sufficient. The caveat the data itself includes is worth repeating: 0.59% is a state-average estimate drawn from Tax Foundation 2024 data, and your actual Wirt County or township rate may differ. Pull the county assessor's figure before you close.

The concentration risk here is the dominant concern. A county of 5,202 people has a thin tenant pool, limited economic diversification by definition, and virtually no buffer against even modest population outflows. No economic anchors are provided in the data, so no specific employers or demand drivers can be cited. What the population figure alone implies is that vacancy in any individual unit can meaningfully affect your portfolio-level performance if you hold more than two or three doors here, and that re-leasing timelines in a thin market may run longer than in a larger city. Regulatory risk is not addressed by the available data. Demographic trajectory is not provided beyond the static population figure.

Compared to its neighbors, Wirt is the cheapest entry point in the group at $115,069, sitting below Doddridge County at $124,139, Wayne County at $137,332, Randolph County at $158,944, Wood County at $170,624, and Berkeley County at $311,511. The two neighbors with rent data, Wood County and Berkeley County, both show rent-to-price ratios around 0.066, which would imply very rough rent-to-price math in a similar range if Wirt behaved comparably, but that is speculation the data does not support. Wood County scores 67 overall versus Wirt's 65, with a known rent figure of $942 and a price point of $170,624 that is still accessible. Berkeley County at $311,511 is a different market entirely, oriented toward appreciation and DC-metro commuter demand, with a $1,737 median rent. If your thesis is cash flow in West Virginia, Wood County gives you confirmable rent data at a still-affordable price, which makes it easier to underwrite with confidence. Doddridge County at $124,139 and a 67 overall score offers a slightly higher price than Wirt with a better composite score, and may represent a more legible market. Choose Wirt over its neighbors only if you have local knowledge, verifiable rent comps, and a willingness to operate in one of the thinnest rental markets in the state.