Rental market · South Lyon, MI · Incorporated city
South Lyon, MI: average rent, home values, and rental yield
East North Central · Population 11,950
DatasetCity Market Score, model balanced4,812 of 5,233 tracked U.S. markets rankedgenerated 2026-10-06Latest source releases: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI 2026-08 · Census ACS 5-yr 2024 · Census PEP 2025 · Census BPS 2025 · BLS LAUS 2025 · Redfin 2026-05 · FBI CDE 2025How this is built
F33.2
#4,094 of 4,812 ranked markets
Overall Score 33.2 · stronger than 15% of ranked markets
Confidence 76/100 · 4 of 13 factors imputed
Grade F: the biggest single drag is Cash Flow, 20.6 of 100 at 35% of the score, which is 50% of the distance to a perfect 100. See the arithmetic
Why this market does or does not qualify
Overall City Market Score rank #4,094 of 4,812. It does not enter the Buy & Hold shortlist under the baseline screen. Why rank and cash flow can disagree
Investor-entry estimate$256,925
Modeled rent$1,610/mo
20% down · base cash flow−$520/mo
25% down · rent stress to base−$560/mo to −$440/mo
Hold Coverage · 20% / 25%0.62 / 0.66
Conditional price ceiling · 25%$171,181
Required rent at entry estimate$2,416/mo
Limiting requirementDoes not pass the existing category-quality gate
Price × rent decision grid · 25% down
Change the two inputs that usually decide the deal. Green cells clear the three financial requirements before the separate quality and data gates.
| Monthly cash flow / Hold Coverage | 10% below entry$231,232 | Entry estimate$256,925 | 10% above entry$282,617 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% higher rent$1,771/mo | −$140/moHC 0.88 · does not clear | −$310/moHC 0.76 · does not clear | −$480/moHC 0.66 · does not clear |
| Modeled rent$1,610/mo | −$270/moHC 0.77 · does not clear | −$440/moHC 0.66 · does not clear | −$610/moHC 0.57 · does not clear |
| 10% lower rent$1,449/mo | −$390/moHC 0.66 · does not clear | −$560/moHC 0.56 · does not clear | −$730/moHC 0.48 · does not clear |
Expense waterfall · base case
Monthly, rounded to $10. NOI excludes CapEx and debt service.
- Scheduled rent+$1,610/mo
- Vacancy allowance−$80/mo
- Management−$120/mo
- Maintenance−$80/mo
- Property tax−$290/mo
- Insurance allowance−$110/mo
- NOI+$930/mo
- CapEx reserve−$80/mo
- Debt service−$1,280/mo
- Cash flow−$440/mo
Base−$440/mo · HC 0.66Rent stress−$560/mo · rent −10%Insurance-expense stress−$650/mo · allowance 1.5%
Two supported strengths
Growth 48/100 and Stability 38/100.
Weakest measured signal
Cash Flow is the weakest category at 21/100.
Primary evidenced risk: expense-adjusted yield is the weakest measured factor (14th national percentile). Data caveat: price is Zillow Bottom-Tier ZHVI (5th–35th percentile); rent is ZORI asking rent and is not bedroom- or property-matched. Insurance is a 0.5% annual allowance, not a quote.
Scenario buy-hold-v1-2026-09-19: 7% fixed financing for 30 years; 20% and 25% down; 5% vacancy; 8% management on collected rent; 5% maintenance and 5% CapEx on scheduled rent; measured local property tax; 3% closing costs. Qualification also requires positive cash flow, Hold Coverage at least 1.10, nonnegative cash flow after 10% lower rent, and the existing quality and data gates.
Property verification checklist
- Confirm achievable rent with bedroom-matched comps, current listings, and any existing lease.
- Use the parcel’s actual tax bill and reassessment rules.
- Obtain a landlord insurance quote, including wind, flood, or named-storm coverage where relevant.
- Inspect roof, structure, mechanicals, deferred maintenance, and immediate capital needs.
- Verify utilities, HOA, licensing, inspection, registration, and local rental rules.
- Replace the modeled loan with a current lender quote, points, closing costs, and reserve requirements.
Why this grade
Overall 33.2 is a weighted geometric mean of the three category scores. Because they are multiplied rather than averaged, their distances from a perfect 100 combine as an exact identity, and each category's share of that distance is the arithmetic below, not an estimate. Cash Flow carries 50% of it, which is what makes it the binding constraint on this grade.
Cash Flow · 35% weight
20.6 / 100
50% of the shortfall
Growth · 35% weight
47.9 / 100
23% of the shortfall
Stability · 30% weight
37.8 / 100
26% of the shortfall
Inside Cash Flow, the shortfall splits over the factors the model scored here, exactly, in proportion to their published weights. The largest component is expense-adjusted yield (weight 22 of the category's 35, 14th national percentile, 68% of the category's own shortfall); next is price to income (weight 13 of the category's 35, 32nd national percentile, 32% of the category's own shortfall).
What this is not. It is not a claim that a different value on any one factor would produce a different score or a different grade. Every factor is scored as a national percentile and the grade is a percentile cut against the other 4,812 ranked markets, so this market's position moves only relative to all of them, never on its own. No factor was dropped for this market. 4 of the 13 factors were imputed (rent growth, violent crime, property crime, rental vacancy): the model had no city input of the kind it scores, so it used a reference median instead of a measurement (the same county, or the same state and population band; a national median for a yield cost input), and the factor table marks each one as a fallback.
How South Lyon ranks nationally
Each row places South Lyon among all 4,812 ranked U.S. markets: the marker is this city, the centre tick is the national median, and the bar runs from one to the other. Further right is better for an investor; inverted measures (crime, vacancy, price-to-income) are already flipped.
Overall Scorethe flagship rank
33.215th percentile
Cash Flowyield & affordability
2114th percentile
Growthpopulation, jobs, income
4846th percentile
Stabilitycrime, vacancy, unemployment
3821st percentile
Expense-adjusted yield1.3% net of costs
1414th percentile
Affordabilityprice-to-income 5.1×
32more affordable than 32%
Population growth0.4%/yr (capped)
5454th percentile
Job growth0.4%/yr (capped)
4141st percentile
What a deal looks like here
A market-level buy-box for South Lyon, built from this market's own numbers: the investor-entry price, its rent, and local carrying costs. The market grade is a quality screen; the deal verdict below is this financing scenario only. An illustrative scenario, not a listing.
Target buy price
$256,925
Expected rent
$1,610 /mo
Rent-to-price
0.63%
Cap rate
4.3%
Cash-on-cash
-7.3% at 25% dn
NOI-based DSCR
0.72
Hold Coverage
0.66 after CapEx reserve
Does not meet screen. At 25% down, named scenarios span −$560 to −$440/mo after reserves (10% lower-rent stress to base case). This range is not a confidence interval.
Buy target = Zillow Bottom-Tier ZHVI (5th–35th percentile) $256,925; typical home value $474,753. Rent = Zillow ZORI typical asking rent. Assumptions: 25% down, 7% / 30-yr, 5% vacancy, 8% management on collected rent, 5% maintenance, 5% CapEx reserve excluded from NOI and subtracted from cash flow, 0.5% insurance, 1.37% property tax. Illustrative market-level scenario: not a listing, appraisal, recommendation, or underwriting decision. Zillow price and rent as of 2026-08-31; dataset generated 2026-10-06.
Market Negotiation Leverage
Balanced (43rd percentile among 6,196 cities with Redfin coverage)
Equal-weight composite of three Redfin signals’ national percentiles (days on market 18, months of supply 3.8, sale-to-list 99.8%), direction-adjusted so a higher percentile always means more room for a buyer to negotiate. This is a cross-sectional snapshot against every other tracked city today, not a seasonal or historical baseline for this specific city (no multi-year time series is committed for this data). Not a prediction of what any specific seller will accept. Source: Redfin Data Center. See how this is calculated.
Typical home value $474,753
Median rent $1,610/mo
Population 11,950
Region East North Central
Price & rent history
Home value $225,550 → $474,753 (2000-01–2026-08)
Asking rent: only 5 data points (2026-03 → 2026-08) - too little history to chart honestly.
Source: Zillow ZHVI (home value), quarterly from 2000-01, monthly from 2016-09 to 2026-08. Change the range or hover to read any point. Gaps in the source series are left as gaps - never interpolated.
ZIP markets in South Lyon
1 Census ZIP Code (ZCTAs) officially overlap South Lyon by land area · 1 data-eligible for subscores. Overlap is Census land-area share, not a population or address share. Each ZIP Code's overall Rental Investor ZIP Score, grade and canonical national rank are shown below (the two component signals, affordability and rental market, are separate percentiles). There is no city-scoped ZIP rank: city overlap isn't a ranking universe, so only the national rank is shown. These ZIP rankings sit in the ZIP universe only, never mixed with, and not directly comparable to, South Lyon's city ranking. Vintage: the Key metric column below is Census ACS 2020–2024 (5-year), the same survey release as the figures used above for South Lyon itself; a city and a ZIP Code are different geographies, so the same measure can still show a different number at each level.
1 of 1 overlapping ZIP Code area, scoredgrade, overall Rental Investor ZIP Score and national rank for each, on a separate model from this page's city scoreShow table
| ZIP Code | Overallgrade · natl rank | Tier · overlap | Affordabilitysignal · natl rank | Rental marketsignal · natl rank | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48178South Lyon | C 52#7,590 nat | RankedPrimary | 27#18,039 of 20,132 · bottom 10% | 38#14,771 of 20,132 · bottom 27% | 3.9%Survey yield |
The honest read
South Lyon scores 33/100 overall (grade F): 21 for Cash Flow, 48 for Growth, and 38 for Stability, each a 0–100 score built from the factors in that category. The scenario above shows what a representative investor-entry purchase pencils out to at today's rates. Everything we can measure is in the table below, with its source.
Every factor, shown
The Overall score blends three category scores built from thirteen factors: Cash Flow (35%), Growth (35%), and Stability (30%). The tag on each percentile names the category a scored factor feeds; untagged rows are context, not scored. Each band chip restates that row's percentile in words. Every value carries its source and as-of date; a fallback source or imputed value is marked fallback. How the score works.
| Factor | Value | National percentile | Source · as-of | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expense-adjusted yield | 1.3% | Bottom quartile14th percentile · Cash Flow | Zillow ZORI/ZHVI · 2026-08-31 | Annual rent divided by price, net of a modeled vacancy, tax, capex, and management allowance: the core of the Cash Flow category and what the score is actually computed from. The unadjusted gross yield is shown elsewhere on this page. |
| Price to income | 5.1x | Below median32nd percentile · Cash Flow | Zillow + ACS income · 2026-08-31 | Home price over local median income. Lower is cheaper relative to what people earn. Part of the Cash Flow category. |
| Population growth | 0.4%/yr | Above median54th percentile · Growth | Census PEP · Census PEP 2020→2025 (vintage 2025) + Census PEP 2015→2025 (vintages 2019+2025) | Census population trend for the place, capped at 4.5%/yr before scoring (diminishing returns above that rate): the heaviest factor in the Growth category. |
| Job growth | 0.4%/yr | Below median41st percentile · Growth | BLS LAUS (county) · BLS LAUS county annual 2019→2025 (pre-COVID anchor; 2025 is an 11-month average) + BLS LAUS county annual 2015→2025 | County employment trend, capped at 4.0%/yr before scoring (diminishing returns above that rate). A Growth-category factor. |
| Income growth | 4.8%/yr | Below median45th percentile · Growth | Census ACS · ACS 5-yr 2020-2024 | Local median-income trend. A Growth-category factor. |
| Rent growth fallback | 4.1%/yr | Above median54th percentile · Growth | Model cohort median (eligible county or state/population cohort); no city-specific observation. Published 2026-10-06 | A 40/60 blend of 3-year and 10-year rent trend (the model's own weighting). A Growth-category factor. |
| Home-value growth | 4.6%/yr | Below median46th percentile · Growth | Zillow ZHVI · 3yr + 10yr to 2026-08-31 | A 40/60 blend of 3-year and 10-year price trend (the model's own weighting). A small Growth-category factor. |
| Violent crime fallback | 293 /100k/yr | Below median28th percentile · Stability | Model cohort median (eligible county or state/population cohort); no city-specific observation. Published 2026-10-06 | Reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents a year (the FBI's monthly agency rates, times 12). No agency reported this place to the FBI, so the score uses the model cohort median shown (same county, or same state and population band), not a city observation. City-level data cannot resolve within-neighborhood risk. |
| Property crime fallback | 928 /100k/yr | Above median73rd percentile · Stability | Model cohort median (eligible county or state/population cohort); no city-specific observation. Published 2026-10-06 | Reported property crimes per 100,000 residents a year. No agency reported this place to the FBI, so the score uses the model cohort median shown (same county, or same state and population band), not a city observation. |
| Unemployment | 3.9% | Above median61st percentile · Stability | BLS LAUS (county) · BLS LAUS county annual 2025 (11-month average) | County unemployment rate. Lower is steadier, a Stability-category factor. |
| Rental vacancy fallback | 7.0% | Below median28th percentile · Stability | Model cohort median (eligible county or state/population cohort); no city-specific observation. Published 2026-10-06 | Share of rentals empty. Lower means more pricing power. A Stability-category factor. |
| Property tax rate | 1.4% | Below median33rd percentile · Stability | Census ACS B25103/B25077 · ACS 5-yr 2020-2024 | Median tax over median value. A direct drag on cash flow, scored in the Stability category as carrying-cost burden. |
| Months of supply | 3.8 mo | Below median33rd percentile · Stability | Redfin Data Center · 2026-05-01 | Listings over sales pace. Under about 4 is a seller market, over 6 a buyer market. A Stability-category factor. |
| Days on market | 18 days | Top quartile83rd percentile | Redfin Data Center · 2026-05-01 | How fast homes sell. Lower means more liquidity and an easier exit. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 99.8% | Above median61st percentile | Redfin Data Center · 2026-05-01 | Sale price over asking. Above 100% means homes clear over ask. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Net domestic migration | -2.1/1k | Below median38th percentile | Census PEP (county) · PEP vintage 2025 | Net people moving in or out of the county, per 1,000 residents. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Building permits | 5.8/1k | Top quartile75th percentile | Census BPS (county) · BPS 2025 | New-construction permits per 1,000 homes. More means more supply coming. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Rent burden | 28% | Above median71st percentile | Census ACS B25071 · ACS 5-yr 2020-2024 | Median rent as a share of income. Higher means less headroom for increases. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Median year built | 1991 | Top quartile77th percentile | Census ACS B25035 · ACS 5-yr 2020-2024 | Age of the housing stock. Older stock carries more capex. Shown for context, not scored. |
| Max drawdown | 32% | Below median26th percentile | Zillow ZHVI · 2026-08-31 | Worst peak-to-trough home-value decline on record. Shown for context, not scored. |
- * Job growth and unemployment are county-level (BLS LAUS, county FIPS 26125); large multi-county cities inherit their dominant county’s figures.
- Data flag: rentGrowth: ACS CAGR fallback. The score does not use a city figure for this factor: it uses the model cohort median shown in the factor table.
- Data flag: rentalVacancy: missing. The score does not use a city figure for this factor: it uses the model cohort median shown in the factor table.
Where to go next from South Lyon
Every link below is this market's own data taken one step further: its neighbours in the ranking, the same numbers side by side, or the same numbers in a calculator you can change.
Nearby in the Michigan rankings, and national look-alikes
- Grand Haven, MIGrade F · score 34/100 · yield 5.0% · $401,623 · #4,014 nationalZillow ZHVI $103k (2000) to $402k (2026), +292%
- Wixom, MIGrade F · score 34/100 · yield 3.5% · $385,437 · #4,015 nationalZillow ZHVI $195k (2000) to $385k (2026), +97%
- Rochester, MIGrade F · score 33/100 · yield 4.5% · $493,920 · #4,103 nationalZillow ZHVI $269k (2000) to $494k (2026), +83%
- Traverse City, MIGrade F · score 33/100 · yield 5.1% · $446,706 · #4,121 nationalZillow ZHVI $121k (2000) to $447k (2026), +268%
- Kenner, LAGrade F · score 33/100 · yield 6.8% · $269,861 · #4,096 nationalZillow ZHVI $226k (2000) to $270k (2026), +20%
- Seaside, CAGrade F · score 33/100 · yield 4.8% · $788,874 · #4,099 nationalZillow ZHVI $241k (2000) to $789k (2026), +228%
- Hyattsville, MDGrade F · score 33/100 · yield 5.9% · $400,291 · #4,098 nationalZillow ZHVI $111k (2000) to $400k (2026), +262%
Compare South Lyon head to head
- South Lyon vs Grand Haven vs KennerThe pre-filled matchup: nearest in-state rank and closest national grade.
- South Lyon vs Wixom, MIGrade F · yield 3.5%
- South Lyon vs Seaside, CAGrade F · yield 4.8%
- Pick your own opponentAny of the 5,233 tracked cities.
Underwrite a South Lyon deal
- Cap rateOpens on South Lyon's own entry price and rent. Change either one.
- Cash flow & DSCRMonthly cash flow and DSCR, prefilled with this market's numbers.
- Mortgage paymentP&I on South Lyon's entry price at the assumptions shown above.
- All marketsCompare South Lyon against 4,812 ranked cities.
- Michigan ZIP CodesEvery Michigan ZIP Code area (Census ZCTAs), scored separately from the city rankings.
- Ranked listsSix lists, each with a disclosed entry rule.
Ranked lists: Highest yield · Cheapest vs. income · Rent covers the mortgage · Under $200k · Fastest-growing · Most stable
For learning, not advice. A market screen from public data - not a forecast, not underwriting, not a recommendation to buy anywhere.