{"area":{"county":"Cherokee County","state":"AL","stateName":"Alabama","slug":"cherokee-al","metro":null},"homeValue":{"series":[{"date":"2021-04-01","value":152060},{"date":"2021-07-01","value":159069},{"date":"2021-10-01","value":165655},{"date":"2022-01-01","value":171939},{"date":"2022-04-01","value":176379},{"date":"2022-07-01","value":179700},{"date":"2022-10-01","value":181709},{"date":"2023-01-01","value":184618},{"date":"2023-04-01","value":183981},{"date":"2023-07-01","value":189574},{"date":"2023-10-01","value":189168},{"date":"2024-01-01","value":190781},{"date":"2024-04-01","value":193987},{"date":"2024-07-01","value":195886},{"date":"2024-10-01","value":198262},{"date":"2025-01-01","value":199590},{"date":"2025-04-01","value":200666},{"date":"2025-07-01","value":199975},{"date":"2025-10-01","value":203131},{"date":"2026-01-01","value":204107},{"date":"2026-04-01","value":206237}],"latest":206237,"yoy":2.7762550706148525,"fiveYr":35.62869919768513,"sinceStart":275.7620479183748,"modeled":true},"rent":{"series":[{"date":"2026-11-01","value":986}],"latest":986,"yoy":null,"fiveYr":null,"sinceStart":null,"modeled":true},"census":{"medianIncome":53863,"population":25443,"povertyRate":14.754816112084063,"medianHomeValue":179700,"medianGrossRent":762,"medianPropertyTax":688},"hud":{"county":"Cherokee County","year":"2027","perUnit":986,"bedrooms":2,"estimated":false,"baseBedrooms":2},"crime":{"scope":"state","state":"Alabama","period":"11-2023 to 10-2025","window":{"from":"11-2023","to":"10-2025","fellBack":true},"violentCrime":{"total":37912,"ratePer100k":365.02366222178404},"propertyCrime":{"total":163626,"ratePer100k":1575.4210211727589},"note":"State-level totals from the FBI CDE summarized offense endpoint."},"crimeVintage":{"from":"11-2023","to":"10-2025","fellBack":true},"priceToRentRatio":17.4,"ratioVerdict":"Borderline — at 17.4× the market leans renting (modeled investor cash flow is negative, so this is owner-occupant math — it is not a claim of strong rental yield)","priceCagr":6.285481265188864,"rentCagr":3,"cashFlow":{"price":206237,"monthlyRent":986,"grossRent":986,"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"units":1,"state":"AL","down":41247.4,"loan":164989.6,"mortgagePI":1070.1194051355128,"monthlyTax":65.82397583333334,"taxRatePct":0.383,"taxRateSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.38% ($688 tax ÷ $179,700 ACS median), applied to current value","monthlyInsurance":123.74219999999998,"insuranceRatePct":0.72,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (AL avg 0.72%/yr)","insuranceHighRisk":true,"vacancyPct":5,"vacancyLoss":49.300000000000004,"egi":936.7,"mgmtPct":10,"monthlyMgmt":98.60000000000001,"maintenancePct":5,"monthlyMaint":49.300000000000004,"capexPct":5,"monthlyCapex":49.300000000000004,"hoaMonthly":0,"monthlyHoa":0,"operatingExpenses":386.76617583333336,"noi":549.9338241666667,"totalExpenses":1456.8855809688462,"cashFlow":-520.1855809688461,"annualCf":-6242.2269716261535,"cocReturn":-15.133625323356512,"capRate":3.1998166623835687},"resilience":{"scenarios":[{"id":"rentDown","label":"Rent drops 10%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-594.1355809688462,"delta":-74,"survives":false},{"id":"vacancy","label":"Vacancy stretches to 8%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-549.7655809688462,"delta":-30,"survives":false},{"id":"insurance","label":"Insurance costs rise 25%","kind":"standard","detail":"Standard assumption","cashFlow":-551.121130968846,"delta":-31,"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":-689.5779407905377,"delta":-169,"survives":false},{"id":"historyHome","label":"Worst market shock in available history (since 1991-01-01) (home values −8.7% 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, 2009-10-01 → 2010-10-01, applied to rent","cashFlow":-584.8471955462387,"delta":-65,"survives":false}],"survived":0,"total":5,"score":0,"worstCashFlow":-689.5779407905377,"baselineCashFlow":-520.1855809688461,"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":6.285481265188864,"rentCagr":3,"totalRentPaid":90662.25252356875,"totalCashOutlay":168332.78412218989,"insuranceBasis":"Insurance: state-level estimate (AL avg 0.72%/yr)","homeValueAfter":315997.8926243336,"equityBuilt":166208.00355865597,"netCostOfBuying":43372.18056353391,"buyingCheaper":true,"savings":47290.07196003484},"priceToIncome":{"ratio":3.828917809999443,"price":206237,"medianIncome":53863,"label":"Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)"},"countyTaxRatePct":0.383,"countyTaxSource":"Census ACS county effective rate 0.38% ($688 tax ÷ $179,700 ACS median), applied to current value","dataCheck":{"status":"crosscheck","checks":[{"metric":"home value (vintage update)","primary":206237,"secondary":179700,"primarySource":"current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","secondarySource":"raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)","ratio":1.15,"grade":"verified","consistent":true,"hidePoint":false},{"metric":"HUD fair market rent","primary":986,"secondary":762,"primarySource":"HUD FMR (county)","secondarySource":"Census ACS (county gross rent)","ratio":1.29,"grade":"crosscheck","consistent":false,"hidePoint":false}],"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.15,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":179700,"high":206237}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.29,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":762,"high":986}},"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 (227d 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 (13d 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 6.3%/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":227,"cadence":"quarterly","current":true},"rent":{"date":"2026-11-01","ageDays":13,"cadence":"monthly","current":true}}},"confidence":{"homeValue":{"label":"verified","ratio":1.15,"sources":["current estimate (ACS county median × FHFA state HPI growth)","raw ACS 2023 county median (as measured ~2021)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":179700,"high":206237}},"rent":{"label":"crosscheck","ratio":1.29,"sources":["HUD FMR (county)","Census ACS (county gross rent)"],"hidePoint":false,"range":{"low":762,"high":986}},"income":{"label":"estimate","sources":["Census ACS"]},"crime":{"label":"estimate","sources":["FBI CDE"]}},"verdict":"Cherokee County, AL is a moderate market — a 17.4x price-to-rent ratio is borderline, leaning renting; individual deals decide the outcome.","faqs":[{"q":"Is Cherokee County, AL a good rental market?","a":"Mixed. Cherokee County's 17.4x price-to-rent ratio is moderate; rentals can cash flow, but only on well-priced properties."},{"q":"What is the median home value in Cherokee County?","a":"The typical home value in Cherokee County is about $206,237 (county-level, Census ACS & FHFA state HPI), up 2.8% year-over-year, and up 35.6% over five years."},{"q":"What is the median rent in Cherokee County?","a":"The typical rent in Cherokee County is about $986/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 Cherokee County?","a":"Over a 7-year horizon, buying is cheaper in Cherokee County — roughly $47,290 ahead of renting, with about $166,208 in equity built."},{"q":"Is Cherokee County affordable for homebuyers?","a":"Cherokee County's median home value is 3.8x the local median household income — Moderate (3–5x — tighter budgets)."},{"q":"What is the property tax rate in Cherokee County?","a":"Cherokee County's effective property tax rate is about 0.38% of home value (Census ACS county effective rate 0.38% ($688 tax ÷ $179,700 ACS median), applied to current value), which on a $206,237 median home is roughly $66/mo."}],"takeaways":["The median home value in Cherokee County, AL was $206,237 as of April 2026, up 2.8% year over year (FHFA HPI applied to the Census ACS county median).","The typical market rent in Cherokee County, AL was $986/mo as of November 2026, a current modeled estimate (HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027, bridged from Census ACS gross rent).","Cherokee County, AL has a price-to-rent ratio of 17.4 — a moderate reading where individual deals decide the outcome. (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=cherokee-al","url":"https://areal.studio/functions/getCountyReport?slug=cherokee-al"},"assumptions":{"downPct":20,"ratePct":6.75,"years":7},"dataVintage":{"pulledAt":"2026-11-14T10:43:11.215Z","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":206237,"countyFmr":986,"countyRatio":null,"hpiLevel":"state","hpiMetro":null},"links":{"stateDir":"AL","stateName":"Alabama","cityPages":[],"zips":[]},"sources":["Census ACS 5-year","FHFA HPI","HUD Fair Market Rent","FBI CDE (state-level context)"]}