83 Farm Ln

Mills River, NC 28759

$315,000D-

3 bd · 3.5 ba · 1,611 sqft · Built 2001 · Townhouse · Active · 274 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,695/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,652
• Tax + insurance: −$227
• HOA: −$325
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$566
• Net cashflow: $-75/mo
• Annual: $-899/yr
• Cap rate: 6.01%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.02%
• DSCR: 0.95
• 1% rule: 0.86%
• Cash to close: $88,200

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/3.5-bath townhouse listed at $315k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-75 ($-899/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $302k (4.2% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $269k (14.4% below list).
• It's been on market 274 days — a 12% lower offer ($277k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $269k (14.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $9k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 67/100 on livability (#253 in NC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, housing A+, employment A-; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety F.
• Henderson County Schools (suburban): math 48% / reading 52% proficiency, ranked #64 of 178 in NC (top 36%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Glenn C Marlow Elementary (math 70% / reading 70%, grade A-, #90 of 1,410 statewide, top 7%, 580 students, 30% FRL); West Henderson High (math 73% / reading 63%, grade B, #137 of 535 statewide, top 26%, 1,087 students, 34% FRL).
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 69% at this address vs 50% district-wide (+19 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Henderson County Schools average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Market conditions: 109 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 1,534 units permitted in Henderson County in 2024 (558 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Henderson County population projected at +20% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• Cap rate 6.0% vs local median 2.3% in Mills River — top-decile yield for the area; either an underpriced asset or a hidden risk that comps aren't pricing in. Stress-test before assuming the spread holds.
• This rent runs 30% of the median local income ($108k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• What do current leases actually rent for vs. the listed asking? Can we see a recent rent roll and the last 12 months of T-12 income?
• It's been on market 274 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 14% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• Schools are B-rated — typically a magnet for longer-tenancy family renters. What's the average tenant stay here, and is there a school-zone premium baked into asking?
• The area grade is low — what's the realistic commute time and amenity access for the typical tenant pool here? Any planned neighborhood developments (good or bad) we should know about?
• What's the average days-on-market for RENTAL listings here right now (not sales)? A rising rental-DOM trend means longer vacancies and softer asking-rent achievability than the comps imply.