Rental numbers for ZIP 26537 (Kingwood, WV)
Negative cash flow at today's 7.78% investor rate with 25% down; the typical home breaks even at about 1.8%.
- Gross yield
- 6.4%
- rent x 12 / price
- Est. cap rate
- 3.2%
- NOI / price
- Cash flow
- -$487/mo
- at 7.78%, 25% down
- Typical price
- $180,000
- Zillow ZHVI, Aug 2026
- HUD Fair Market Rent
- $960/mo
- HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, FY2026
The pro forma
Typical home, default assumptions
| Operator | Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent | $11,520 | ||
| Vacancy | $576 | ||
| Management | $876 | ||
| Property tax | $1,040 | ||
| Insurance | $1,415 | ||
| Maintenance | $1,802 | ||
| Net operating income | $5,812 | ||
| Loan payments | $11,653 | ||
| Cash flow | -$5,841 |
| Operator | Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | $180,204 | ||
| Down payment (25%) | $45,051 | ||
| Loan | $135,153 | ||
| Rate | 7.78% | ||
| Monthly payment | $971 | ||
| Cash in | $50,457 | ||
| Cash-on-cash return | -11.6% | ||
| DSCR | 0.50 | ||
| Break-even rate | 1.77% |
Assumptions
Change them in the calculator- Down payment25%
- A common minimum for investment-property and DSCR loans.
- Interest rate7.78%
- Freddie Mac 30-year 7.03% (week of 2026-09-24) + 0.75 point investor premium.
- Loan term30 years
- Fixed, fully amortising.
- Closing costs3% of price
- Added to cash invested.
- Insurance$1,415 a year
- NAIC 2023 average homeowners (HO-3) premium for West Virginia, $1,179, x 1.2 for a landlord policy.
- Maintenance1% of price a year
- The 1% rule of thumb; older homes run higher.
- Vacancy5% of rent
- About 18 days empty a year.
- Management8% of collected rent
- A typical full-service fee; zero if you self-manage.
Trends
Five years to August 2026
- Price, 12 months
- +4.7%
- Rent, 12 months
- n/a
- no Zillow rent series here
- Rent minus price growth
- n/a
- positive means yields are improving
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Aug 2021 | $144,334 |
| Aug 2022 | $154,036 |
| Aug 2023 | $154,443 |
| Aug 2024 | $168,904 |
| Aug 2025 | $172,136 |
| Aug 2026 | $180,204 |
Rent references
Two sources, never blended
| Source | Studio | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, FY2026 | $760 | $760 | $960 | $1,160 | $1,610 |
| Zillow observed rent, Aug 2026 | not published for this ZIP | ||||
HUD's Fair Market Rent is the 40th percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) for a standard unit, and it is what Section 8 vouchers pay against. Zillow's index tracks asking rents on listed homes. The two measure different things, so they are shown side by side and never averaged. HUD area: Morgantown, WV MSA.
Property tax
- Effective rate
- 0.58%
- ZIP area, ACS
- At the typical price
- $1,040/yr
Median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value, Census ACS 2020 to 2024. Preston County: 0.49%. Actual bills depend on the assessment, exemptions and any non-homestead rate.
Supply
- Permits per 1,000 households
- 0.2
- Preston County, last 12 months
- National percentile
- 10th
- among US counties
3 new housing units permitted in 2025-09 to 2026-08, Census Building Permits Survey. A high figure means more new supply competing for tenants.
Nearby ZIP codes
| ZIP | Distance | Typical price | Rent | Gross yield | Cash flow /mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26547Arthurdale | 5.3 mi | $197,000 | $960* | 5.9% | -$576 |
| 26519Albright | 7.1 mi | $169,000 | $980* | 7.0% | -$384 |
| 26542Masontown | 7.1 mi | $174,000 | $1,020* | 7.0% | -$390 |
| 26410Newburg | 7.8 mi | $108,000 | $1,270* | 14.2% | +$228 |
| 26764Terra Alta | 8.3 mi | $181,000 | $970* | 6.4% | -$470 |
| 26444Rowlesburg | 8.4 mi | $115,000 | $980* | 10.2% | -$29 |
| 26374Independence | 9.2 mi | $201,000 | $1,110* | 6.6% | -$475 |
| 26525Bruceton Mills | 12.3 mi | $80,000 | $960* | 14.4% | +$195 |
* HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom (no Zillow rent index for that ZIP).
Every ZIP in Preston CountyMorgantown, WV metroWest Virginia
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Open the calculator for 26537Questions
- Is 26537 good for rental property?
- On the typical home here, priced at $180,000 and renting for $960 a month (HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, FY2026), the gross yield is 6.4% and the estimated cap rate is 3.2%. At a 7.78% investor rate with 25% down, estimated cash flow is -$487 a month. The median gross yield across the 8,418 ZIP codes with full Zillow data is 5.6%. These are figures for a typical property, not a judgement on any particular one.
- What is the typical rent in 26537?
- Zillow does not publish a rent index for 26537. HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom here is $960, the 40th percentile of gross rents and the basis for Section 8 payment standards.
- What is the property tax rate in 26537?
- The effective property tax rate is about 0.58% of value (median taxes paid divided by median home value, Census ACS 2020 to 2024). On the typical $180,000 home that is about $1,040 a year. Your bill depends on the assessment and local exemptions.
- What interest rate makes a rental in 26537 break even?
- About 1.77%. Below that rate, the typical home here cash-flows with 25% down and the default costs; above it, it does not. Today's investor rate used here is 7.78%.
- How fast are prices and rents changing in 26537?
- Over the 12 months to August 2026, the typical home value changed +4.7%.
Sources and method
- Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), mid tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted
Zillow Research. Read: 2026-08.
Typical home value by ZIP, county, metro and state, and the price trend.
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2026
US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read: FY2026.
Rent by bedroom count for every ZIP. The rent used on tier B pages, and a reference on all pages. It is the 40th percentile gross rent, so it runs below market.
- American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (B25103 median real estate taxes paid, B25077 median home value, B11001 households)
US Census Bureau. Read: 2020 to 2024.
Effective property tax rate (median taxes paid divided by median value) by ZIP code tabulation area, county and state; households for the permits ratio.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 30-year fixed (FRED series MORTGAGE30US)
Freddie Mac via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Read: 2026-09-24.
The weekly 30-year rate. The site adds a disclosed investor premium to it for the loan payment.
- Building Permits Survey, county monthly files
US Census Bureau. Read: 2025-09 to 2026-08.
New housing units permitted in the last 12 months per 1,000 households, a supply-pressure signal.
- NAIC Homeowners Insurance Report, data for 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Read: 2023.
Average HO-3 homeowners premium by state, multiplied by 1.2 as a landlord-policy assumption.
Data: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI), HUD, US Census Bureau, Freddie Mac. Every formula is on the methodology page.
Estimates from public data for a typical property. Not investment, tax or legal advice. Your property, financing and costs will differ.