Census figures
Oklahoma housing in figures
Prices below the median, about half the homes built before 1980
Oklahoma’s median home value, $199,800, is below the national median of $332,700. About 49.4 percent of Oklahoma’s homes were built before 1980 and 21.0 percent before 1960, against 49.7 and 25.6 percent nationally. Its homeowner vacancy rate, the share of the owner housing stock that is empty and for sale, is 1.2 percent (national: 0.9), and its rental vacancy rate is 6.5 percent (national: 5.5).
Oklahoma’s housing is close to the nation’s in age: about half of its homes were built before 1980, so many of the houses investors buy are decades old.
Older houses can hide work behind the walls, in the wiring, plumbing, heating and roof, so build the budget from a contractor’s walk-through and keep a cushion for surprises. If the work reaches the foundation or the structure, or the budget comes close to the purchase price, tell us early: heavy rehab projects are priced and sized differently. What counts as heavy rehab?
With the median home value below the national median, a full renovation budget on a lower-priced house can come close to the purchase price, so price the work before you make an offer.
Oklahoma’s homeowner vacancy rate is above the national rate: more of its owner housing stood empty and for sale. Check how long renovated homes nearby took to sell, and plan your holding costs for that time.
If you might keep the house as a rental, note that Oklahoma’s rental vacancy rate is above the national rate; check rents and empty rentals near the property before you count on the rent.
Our state-by-state study puts a year of Oklahoma’s median rent at about 6.09 dollars for every 100 dollars of its median home value, number 2 of the 41 places we cover (40 states and the District of Columbia), counting from the highest (national: 5.10), a guide to how rents compare with prices if you keep the house. See rent compared with home values, state by state and rental vacancy rates, state by state.
For a flip, what matters is the house you have in mind: what it costs, what the work costs, how long the work and the sale take, and what similar renovated homes nearby have sold for. State figures are a starting point, not a substitute for the comparable sales, the contractor’s bid and the inspection of that property.