{"area":{"county":"Cass County","state":"MN","stateName":"Minnesota","slug":"cass-mn","metro":null},"homeValue":{"series":[{"date":"2021-04-01","value":262178},{"date":"2021-07-01","value":268992},{"date":"2021-10-01","value":276309},{"date":"2022-01-01","value":283672},{"date":"2022-04-01","value":290839},{"date":"2022-07-01","value":288300},{"date":"2022-10-01","value":288773},{"date":"2023-01-01","value":291238},{"date":"2023-04-01","value":297691},{"date":"2023-07-01","value":300013},{"date":"2023-10-01","value":300922},{"date":"2024-01-01","value":305204},{"date":"2024-04-01","value":307541},{"date":"2024-07-01","value":311522},{"date":"2024-10-01","value":314670},{"date":"2025-01-01","value":316894},{"date":"2025-04-01","value":318960},{"date":"2025-07-01","value":321883},{"date":"2025-10-01","value":324783},{"date":"2026-01-01","value":326188},{"date":"2026-04-01","value":326976}],"latest":326976,"yoy":2.513167795334838,"fiveYr":24.7152697785474,"sinceStart":335.21942259313977,"modeled":true},"rent":{"series":[{"date":"2026-11-01","value":1014}],"latest":1014,"yoy":null,"fiveYr":null,"sinceStart":null,"modeled":true},"census":{"medianIncome":68874,"population":30992,"povertyRate":12.806352525978696,"medianHomeValue":288300,"medianGrossRent":863,"medianPropertyTax":1615},"hud":{"county":"Cass County","year":"2027","perUnit":1014,"bedrooms":2,"estimated":false,"baseBedrooms":2},"crime":{"scope":"state","state":"Minnesota","period":"11-2024 to 10-2026","window":{"from":"11-2024","to":"10-2026","fellBack":false},"violentCrime":{"total":25291,"ratePer100k":216.88887821686487},"propertyCrime":{"total":156826,"ratePer100k":1344.8979959368176},"note":"State-level totals from the FBI CDE summarized offense endpoint."},"crimeVintage":{"from":"11-2024","to":"10-2026","fellBack":false},"priceToRentRatio":26.9,"ratioVerdict":"Favors renting — price is high relative to rent","priceCagr":4.5169078559211595,"rentCagr":3,"cashFlow":{"price":326976,"monthlyRent":1014,"grossRent":1014,"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"units":1,"state":"MN","down":65395.200000000004,"loan":261580.8,"mortgagePI":1696.608089787911,"monthlyTax":152.58880000000002,"taxRatePct":0.56,"taxRateSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.56% ($1,615 tax ÷ $288,300 ACS median), applied to current value","monthlyInsurance":147.13920000000002,"insuranceRatePct":0.54,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (MN avg 0.54%/yr)","insuranceHighRisk":false,"vacancyPct":5,"vacancyLoss":50.7,"egi":963.3,"mgmtPct":10,"monthlyMgmt":101.4,"maintenancePct":5,"monthlyMaint":50.7,"capexPct":5,"monthlyCapex":50.7,"hoaMonthly":0,"monthlyHoa":0,"operatingExpenses":502.528,"noi":460.77199999999993,"totalExpenses":2199.1360897879113,"cashFlow":-1235.836089787911,"annualCf":-14830.033077454933,"cocReturn":-22.677555963518625,"capRate":1.691030534351145},"resilience":{"scenarios":[{"id":"rentDown","label":"Rent drops 10%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-1311.886089787911,"delta":-76,"survives":false},{"id":"vacancy","label":"Vacancy stretches to 8%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-1266.2560897879112,"delta":-30,"survives":false},{"id":"insurance","label":"Insurance costs rise 25%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-1272.620889787911,"delta":-37,"survives":false},{"id":"rateReset","label":"If financed at 8.25% instead","kind":"standard","detail":"Fixed-rate comparison — the deal if you'd borrowed at a higher rate today; your actual fixed payment never resets","cashFlow":-1504.3971930092412,"delta":-269,"survives":false},{"id":"historyHome","label":"Worst market shock in available history (since 1991-01-01) (home values −9.6% over 12 months)","kind":"history","detail":"History-derived proxy: worst decline found in any window of up to 12 months in the state FHFA home-value series, 2007-10-01 → 2008-10-01, applied to rent","cashFlow":-1308.716626908271,"delta":-73,"survives":false}],"survived":0,"total":5,"score":0,"worstCashFlow":-1504.3971930092412,"baselineCashFlow":-1235.836089787911,"framing":"underwater","confidenceLabel":"crosscheck","omitted":[],"note":"Each scenario re-runs the same verified cash-flow engine with one shock applied, then re-checks the cash-flow identity before display. Standard shocks are fixed assumptions; the history-derived scenario is this market's own worst observed 12-month decline. Estimates only — not a guarantee of performance."},"rentVsBuy":{"years":7,"priceCagr":4.5169078559211595,"rentCagr":3,"totalRentPaid":93236.83981632728,"totalCashOutlay":275856.80208543845,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (MN avg 0.54%/yr)","homeValueAfter":445473.36735835846,"equityBuilt":207990.76837205124,"netCostOfBuying":133261.23371338722,"buyingCheaper":false,"savings":40024.39389705994},"priceToIncome":{"ratio":4.747451868629671,"price":326976,"medianIncome":68874,"label":"Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)"},"countyTaxRatePct":0.56,"countyTaxSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.56% ($1,615 tax ÷ $288,300 ACS median), applied to current value","dataCheck":{"status":"crosscheck","checks":[{"metric":"home value (vintage update)","primary":326976,"secondary":288300,"primarySource":"current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","secondarySource":"raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)","ratio":1.13,"grade":"verified","consistent":true,"hidePoint":false},{"metric":"HUD fair market rent","primary":1014,"secondary":863,"primarySource":"HUD FMR (county)","secondarySource":"Census ACS (county gross rent)","ratio":1.17,"grade":"crosscheck","consistent":false,"hidePoint":false}],"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.13,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":288300,"high":326976}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.17,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":863,"high":1014}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"note":"Every headline metric is checked against a second figure, and each check names its own basis. The rent and property-price checks pair genuinely independent datasets (HUD FMR vs Census ACS gross rent; your price vs the county estimate). The home-value check compares our current estimate (ACS county median updated by the FHFA state index) against the raw ACS 2023 median — its spread reflects price movement since the ACS measurement period (~2021), not disagreement between unrelated sources. 'Verified' means the two figures agree within 15%; 'Cross-checked' means they diverge more than 15%; 'Divergent' flags a >2x difference. A spread beyond 35% is too wide to defend a single point — the headline shows the source range instead, flagged 'sources disagree'."},"integrity":{"status":"pass","checks":[{"name":"home value freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-04-01 (228d old — current for quarterly cadence)"},{"name":"home value card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"home value growth window","status":"pass","detail":"growth matches the 5.0yr available window"},{"name":"rent freshness","status":"pass","detail":"latest 2026-11-01 (14d old — current for monthly cadence)"},{"name":"rent card↔chart","status":"pass","detail":"card matches chart"},{"name":"cash flow identity","status":"pass","detail":"NOI − P&I = cash flow"},{"name":"cash-on-cash","status":"pass","detail":"annual CF ÷ down matches"},{"name":"cap rate","status":"pass","detail":"NOI×12 ÷ price matches"},{"name":"price-to-rent","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ (rent×12) matches"},{"name":"income plausibility","status":"pass","detail":"within expected range"},{"name":"price-to-income","status":"pass","detail":"price ÷ income matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: home value at term","status":"pass","detail":"compounds at 4.5%/yr"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: total rent paid","status":"pass","detail":"geometric series matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: equity built","status":"pass","detail":"home value − loan balance matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: net cost","status":"pass","detail":"outlay − equity gain matches"},{"name":"buy-vs-rent: savings & verdict","status":"pass","detail":"savings = rent − net cost, verdict matches"}],"summary":"16/16 verified","freshness":{"homeValue":{"date":"2026-04-01","ageDays":228,"cadence":"quarterly","current":true},"rent":{"date":"2026-11-01","ageDays":14,"cadence":"monthly","current":true}}},"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.13,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":288300,"high":326976}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.17,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":863,"high":1014}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"verdict":"Cass County, MN is appreciation-driven for owning: at a 26.9x price-to-rent ratio, the math favors renting — monthly investor cash flow is typically thin or negative unless you buy below median or add units.","faqs":[{"q":"Is Cass County, MN a good rental market?","a":"Tough for cash flow. At 26.9x, Cass County is appreciation-driven — most investors here bank on equity growth, not monthly rent spread."},{"q":"What is the median home value in Cass County?","a":"The typical home value in Cass County is about $326,976 (county-level, Census ACS & FHFA state HPI), up 2.5% year-over-year, and up 24.7% over five years."},{"q":"What is the median rent in Cass County?","a":"The typical rent in Cass County is about $1,014/mo (county-level, HUD 2-bedroom benchmark bridged from Census ACS gross rent), a current modeled estimate."},{"q":"Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Cass County?","a":"Over a 7-year horizon, renting is cheaper in Cass County by about $40,024 — buying only pays off if prices appreciate faster than projected."},{"q":"Is Cass County affordable for homebuyers?","a":"Cass County's median home value is 4.7x the local median household income — Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)."},{"q":"What is the property tax rate in Cass County?","a":"Cass County's effective property tax rate is about 0.56% of home value (Census ACS county effective rate 0.56% ($1,615 tax ÷ $288,300 ACS median), applied to current value), which on a $326,976 median home is roughly $153/mo."}],"takeaways":["The median home value in Cass County, MN was $326,976 as of April 2026, up 2.5% year over year (FHFA HPI applied to the Census ACS county median).","The typical market rent in Cass County, MN was $1,014/mo as of November 2026, a current modeled estimate (HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027, bridged from Census ACS gross rent).","Cass County, MN has a price-to-rent ratio of 26.9 — a high reading that favors renting over buying at the median. (Computed by Areal from the figures above.)"],"citationSources":[{"name":"U.S. Census Bureau — ACS ACS 2024 5-year estimates","url":"https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/"},{"name":"FHFA House Price Index","url":"https://www.fhfa.gov/data/hpi"},{"name":"HUD Fair Market Rent","url":"https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html"},{"name":"FBI Crime Data Explorer","url":"https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/"}],"jsonApi":{"function":"getCountyReport","query":"slug=cass-mn","url":"https://areal.studio/functions/getCountyReport?slug=cass-mn"},"assumptions":{"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"years":7},"dataVintage":{"pulledAt":"2026-11-14T18:10:09.340Z","homeValueBasis":"FHFA state HPI (quarterly) × ACS county anchor","rentBasis":"HUD county FMR — flat current estimate (modeled, no public trend)","zhviThrough":null,"zoriThrough":null,"fhfaHpiThrough":"2026-04-01","hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null,"acsVintage":"ACS 2024 5-year estimates","acsVintageMisses":[],"hudFy":"2027","safmrFy":null},"zipAnchors":{"homeValueTier":"county-fhfa-acs","rentTier":"county-acs-hud","zhvi":null,"zori":null,"safmr":null,"countyHomeEstimate":326976,"countyFmr":1014,"countyRatio":null,"hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null},"links":{"stateDir":"MN","stateName":"Minnesota","cityPages":[],"zips":[]},"sources":["Census ACS 5-year","FHFA HPI","HUD Fair Market Rent","FBI CDE (state-level context)"]}