318 Paratrooper Ln · Columbia, SC 29229

$273,840

4 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,760 sqft · SingleFamily · 4 Days on market

Built 2026 6,098 sqft lot $32/mo HOA · 1% of rent

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Why this score? — see what drove the D grade

The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).

• Cash flow +12.6/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Livability +3.9/5.0
• DSCR +3.8/10.0
• 1% rule +3.7/10.0
• Schools +3.6/10.0
• Rent growth +3.2/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Welcome to The Nichols, where your dream home becomes a reality. This 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home is waiting for you to make it your own. As soon as you step inside, you are greeted by a cozy yet spacious family room that seamlessly leads into the kitchen at the rear of the home. As you make your way upstairs, you will find the large primary bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, spacious walk-in closet, and windows that fill the room with natural light. But that's not all – The Nichols features so much! With three additional bedrooms, there is plenty of space for everyone. Plus, the bedroom-level laundry room also makes laundry days more convenient than ever. Don't miss this opportunity

Key facts

• Kitchen
• Walk-in closet
• Family room

Tags

• FAMILY ROOM
• KITCHEN
• PRIMARY BEDROOM
• EN-SUITE BATHROOM
• WALK-IN CLOSET
• BEDROOM-LEVEL LAUNDRY ROOM

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/2.5-bath single-family listed at $274k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-35 ($-416/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $269k (1.8% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $239k (12.6% below list).
• Recommended offer: $239k (12.6% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Cap rate 6.1% vs local median 5.1% in Columbia — meaningfully above typical; check what's discounted (condition, days-on-market, listing class) to confirm the premium yield is real.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 78/100 on livability (#18 in SC, #2,436 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: amenities A+, commute A+, cost of living A+; Watch: employment D, crime F.
• Richland 02 (suburban): math 35% / reading 47% proficiency, ranked #29 of 80 in SC (top 36%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Pontiac Elementary (math 39% / reading 35%, grade F, #315 of 597 statewide, top 55%, 724 students, 68% FRL); Spring Valley High (math 53% / reading 92%, grade B+, #46 of 196 statewide, top 24%, 2,187 students, 49% FRL) — zoned schools average 58% FRL vs 38% district-wide (20 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 55% at this address vs 41% district-wide (+14 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Richland 02 average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+2.8%/yr); 417 active listings in the ZIP; 6 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals leasing fast (median 5d on market — plan ~1-2 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 3,472 units permitted in Richland County in 2024 (1,096 in 5+ unit buildings).
• This rent runs 39% of the median local income ($74k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $8k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Richland County population projected at +30% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.

Negotiation context

• Only 4 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Recommended offer $239,213 (12.6% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. 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?
2. What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. Schools are D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
5. Crime grade is F in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
6. 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?
7. 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.
8. What's the recent tenant-quality profile in this submarket — average credit score on applications, eviction rate, late-payment / NSF rate, and stable-employment percentage? A property-management company in the area should have these aggregated.
9. How much new for-sale + rental construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply typically softens prices + rents 12–24 months out; constrained supply supports both.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 0.87% ✗
• Cap rate: 6.14%
• Cash-on-cash: -0.54%
• DSCR: 0.98
• GRM: 9.5

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 2.81% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: -17.4%
• Equity multiple: 0.39×
• Total profit: $-46,982
• Equity at exit: $40,830

10-year hold

• IRR: -9.7%
• Equity multiple: 0.41×
• Total profit: $-45,394
• Equity at exit: $23,677

Cash invested: $76,675 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State South Carolina: 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

5-day notice; preempted; landlord-favorable.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 29229

• Home prices YoY: -21.5%
• Rents YoY: 2.8%
• Active inventory: 417
• Price-to-rent: 9.5×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $2,392 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,436
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$342 /mo · $4,108/yr
• Insurance: −$114
• HOA: −$32
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$502
• Net cashflow: $-35

Break-even live

Break-even rent $2,436

Max offer price $268,824

Occupancy floor 96%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $155	-5% $60	+0% $-35	+5% $-129	+10% $-224
Rent	-10% $-224	-5% $-129	+0% $-35	+5% $60	+10% $154
Rate	-1.0pp $103	-0.5pp $35	base $-35	+0.5pp $-106	+1.0pp $-178

UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt

Financing live

Cash to close

• Down payment: $68,460
• Closing costs: $8,215
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 6 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
1037 Astoria DR Columbia, SC	3.0	2.5	1363	$1,900	$1.39	5d	1	0.25mi
837 Peony LN Columbia, SC	3.0	2.5	1996	$2,500	$1.25	23d	1	0.29mi
4415 Percival Rd Columbia, SC	1.0–3.0	1.0–2.0	1112	$2,226	$2.00	4d	20	0.67mi
1102 Semoran Way Columbia, SC	3.0–4.0	2.5	1488	$2,775	$1.86	4d	16	0.67mi
1074 Cornelia St Elgin, SC	3.0	2.5	1432	$1,995	$1.39	5d	1	0.70mi
1315 Montford Dr Elgin, SC	4.0	3.0	1959	$2,300	$1.17	16d	1	0.78mi

HOA detail

• Monthly dues: $32 · $384/yr

Listing history 3 events

1. 2026-02-24
   status Pending
2. 2026-02-24
   price $273,840
3. 2026-02-20
   listed $271,840 Active

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $28,706
• − Mortgage interest: −$15,339
• − Property taxes: −$4,108
• − Insurance: −$1,369
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$2,296
• − Management: −$2,296
• − HOA: −$384
• − Depreciation: −$7,966
• Taxable loss: −$5,054
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,213
• After-tax cash flow: $797/yr

For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Richland 02
• NCES district ID: 4503390
• Math proficiency: 35% ▼ -15.00%
• Reading proficiency: 47% ▼ -5.00%
• Median HH income: $59,684
• Composite: 36.2/100
• National rank: #4730
• State rank: #29 of 80 in SC

Livability — Columbia

• Score: 78/100
• State rank: #18
• US rank: #2436

Category grades

Amenities A+ Commute A+ Cost of living A+ Crime F Employment D Housing A+ Health & safety A+ User ratings D

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Columbia, SC
• County: Richland County · 389,530 people
• City population: 335,994
• Metro: Columbia, SC
• Population (ZIP): 51,861
• Household income: $74,043
• Rent vs Own: 29.9% rent · 70.1% own
• Severe rent burden: 1939.0

Population outlook (Richland County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 459,667 people
• By 2030: 487,524 · +6.1%
• By 2040: 542,035 · +17.9%
• By 2050: 595,371 · +29.5%
• By 2075: 732,998 · +59.5%
• By 2100: 820,415 · +78.5%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Diverse neighborhood (Simpson 0.56)
• Race & ethnicity: Black 62% White 24% Hispanic / Latino 8% Two or more races 6% Asian 3%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 2% Puerto Rican 2%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 1% Lithuanian 1% Romanian 1%
• Foreign-born: 7% · Canada, South Korea, Jamaica
• Languages at home: 89% English-only · Spanish 6% Other Indo-European 1% Korean 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Richland

• 2024 margin: Solid D (+34.6) · D 66.4% · R 31.8% · Other 1.8%
• 2008→2024 swing: +5.7pp toward D · 2008: 28.9pp · 2024: 34.6pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+34.6 2020: D+38.3 2016: D+32.9 2012: D+33.3 2008: D+28.9

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -51.11%
• Current HPI: 186.782
• Rent YoY: ▲ 2.81%
• Metro: Columbia, SC
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 4.51%
• F500 in state: 2

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in SC)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Packaging	1	$7B

Price history

+0.7% since first listed

3 events — show timeline

• 2026-02-24 Pending — Consolidated MLS
• 2026-02-24 Price Changed $273,840 Consolidated MLS
• 2026-02-20 Listed $271,840 Consolidated MLS