214 E 4th St · Wilton, IA 52778

$45,000

4 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,274 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 5 Days on market

Built 1878 8,276 sqft lot ↓ 10% since listing

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Why this score? — see what drove the B 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 +30.0/30.0
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +6.3/10.0
• Livability +4.0/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks MLS

Great value for a fixer-upper. Newer garage has room for at least 4 cars and has floor drain and walls are insulated. BEING SOLD 'AS IS'

Key facts

• 8,276 sq ft lot
• 4 garage spots
• Built 1878

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: Detached 4-car garage
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: One-and-a-half story single-family home; Residential property
• Construction: Aluminum siding
• Exterior features: 60' x 140' lot; Zoned residential

Interior

• Bedrooms: 2 main-level bedrooms
• Bathrooms: 1 main-level bathroom
• Interior features: Partial basement

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $45k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $534 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $45k).

Location & tenants

• Location reads 79/100 on livability (#101 in IA, #2,027 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Wilton Community School District (town): math 72% / reading 75% proficiency, ranked #80 of 289 in IA (top 28%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Market conditions: 29 active listings in the ZIP; 65 units permitted in Muscatine County in 2024 (45 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $311 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $1k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Muscatine County population projected at +8% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $13k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 5 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 2 sale attempts since 13y ago with the ask held roughly flat each time — persistent listings suggest the price (not the market) is what's stuck; bring a comps-based counter.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: property tax is 4.2% of price; built in 1878 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $45,000

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1878 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. 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?
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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: 2.66% ✓
• Cap rate: 20.54%
• Cash-on-cash: 50.89%
• DSCR: 3.26
• GRM: 3.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $175,812
• Comps found: 5

Show comp detail 5 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
915 East St	0.41mi	3/1.0 (-1)	1,272 (-0%)	12mo	$194,500	$153	66
612 Maurer St	0.22mi	3/1.0 (-1)	1,290 (+1%)	23mo	$150,000	$116	63
113 E 2nd St	0.15mi	3/1.0 (-1)	1,188 (-7%)	20mo	$164,000	$138	60
915 Locust St	0.41mi	3/2.0 (-1)	1,215 (-5%)	14mo	$205,000	$169	52
204 Cypress St	0.23mi	3/2.0 (-1)	1,145 (-10%)	17mo	$150,000	$131	50

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: 48.8%
• Equity multiple: 3.13×
• Total profit: $26,819
• Equity at exit: $6,710

10-year hold

• IRR: 54.4%
• Equity multiple: 6.36×
• Total profit: $67,499
• Equity at exit: $3,891

Cash invested: $12,600 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Iowa: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day pay-or-quit; mostly landlord-friendly statewide.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 52778

• Home prices YoY: -31.8%
• Active inventory: 29
• Price-to-rent: 3.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,198 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$236
• Tax from tax record: −$157 /mo · $1,884/yr
• Insurance: −$19
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$251
• Net cashflow: $534

Break-even live

Break-even rent $521

Max offer price $45,000

Occupancy floor 50%

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: $11,250
• Closing costs: $1,350
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 5 events

1. 2026-06-09
   status $45,000 Pending 5 DOM
2. 2026-06-08
   days on market $45,000 Active 5 DOM
3. 2026-06-07
   days on market $45,000 Active 4 DOM
4. 2026-06-04
   remarks 170-char remark
5. 2026-06-04
   listed $45,000 Active 1 DOM

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

Tax reassessment forecast IA · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,884 · $157/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,884 · $157/mo
• Expected delta: $0/yr ($0/mo · 0.0%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 4/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥104°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,370
• − Mortgage interest: −$2,521
• − Property taxes: −$1,884
• − Insurance: −$225
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,150
• − Management: −$1,150
• − Depreciation: −$1,309
• Taxable income: $6,132
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,472
• After-tax cash flow: $4,940/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: Wilton Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1931800
• Math proficiency: 72% ▲ 1.00%
• Reading proficiency: 75% ▲ 4.00%
• Median HH income: $58,073
• Composite: 63.04/100
• National rank: #648
• State rank: #80 of 289 in IA

Livability — Wilton

• Score: 79/100
• State rank: #101
• US rank: #2027

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Wilton, IA
• Population (ZIP): 3,677

Population outlook (Muscatine County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 44,820 people
• By 2030: 45,461 · +1.4%
• By 2040: 46,765 · +4.3%
• By 2050: 48,609 · +8.5%
• By 2075: 56,014 · +25.0%
• By 2100: 63,513 · +41.7%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (91%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 91% Hispanic / Latino 5% Two or more races 3% Black 1%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 5%
• Common ancestry: Lithuanian 2% Italian 1% Iranian 1%
• Foreign-born: 1% · China, Canada
• Languages at home: 98% English-only · Spanish 1% Russian/Polish/Slavic 1% Arabic 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Muscatine

• 2024 margin: R (+14.9) · D 41.7% · R 56.6% · Other 1.7%
• 2008→2024 swing: -30.6pp toward R · 2008: 15.7pp · 2024: -14.9pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+14.9 2020: R+7.0 2016: R+6.6 2012: D+15.5 2008: D+15.7

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -93.07%
• Current HPI: 199.9894
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.48%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$16B
▸Retail / Convenience	1	$15B

Price history

-10.0% since first listed

3 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-03 Listed $45,000 Muscatine BOR
• 2013-05-02 Listed $90,000 Muscatine BOR
• 2008-06-25 Sold (MLS) $50,000 Muscatine BOR

Property tax history

-0.1%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,884 · +5.4% YoY. Source: county tax records.