306 1st Ave Ave N

Humboldt, IA 50548

$135,500C

4 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,608 sqft · Built 1910 · SingleFamily · Active · 116 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,296/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$711
• Tax + insurance: −$229
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$272
• Net cashflow: $84/mo
• Annual: $1,004/yr
• Cap rate: 7.03%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.65%
• DSCR: 1.12
• 1% rule: 0.96%
• Cash to close: $37,940

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $136k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $84 ($1k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $130k (4.4% below list).
• It's been on market 116 days — a 9% lower offer ($123k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $123k (9.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $937 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 83/100 on livability (#34 in IA, #1,000 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Humboldt Community School District (town): math 75% / reading 72% proficiency, ranked #92 of 289 in IA (top 32%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Zoned schools: Taft Elementary School (math 82% / reading 67%, grade A, #131 of 616 statewide, top 27%, 396 students, 42% FRL); Humboldt Middle School (math 74% / reading 71%, grade A, #90 of 246 statewide, top 38%, 440 students, 40% FRL); Humboldt High School (math 72% / reading 75%, grade B+, #108 of 336 statewide, top 33%, 496 students, 36% FRL).
• Watch-outs: built in 1910 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 63 active listings in the ZIP; 13 units permitted in Humboldt County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Humboldt County population projected to shrink 9% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• Cap rate 7.0% vs local median 3.4% in Humboldt — 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.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 116 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 9% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1910 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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 A-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?
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.