4218 Vista Ave · St. Louis, MO 63110

$175,000

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 660 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 5 Days on market

Built 1888 2,639 sqft lot Est $141k · 24% over

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Why this score? — see what drove the F 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 +16.1/30.0
• DSCR +5.0/10.0
• Rent growth +4.1/5.0
• 1% rule +3.1/10.0
• Livability +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +1.2/10.0
• ARV discount +0.0/15.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Why rent when you can own this adorable, fully updated home in the coveted Forest Park Southeast neighborhood? Bright and welcoming, the main level offers an amazing open concept living space with abundant natural light, fresh neutral paint, and stylish, low-maintenance vinyl flooring. The finished lower level adds tremendous flexibility with a full bathroom and two additional sleeping areas, home offices, workout rooms, or bonus spaces to fit your lifestyle. Step outside to the spacious deck, perfect for grilling, gathering with friends, or enjoying your morning coffee. Ideally located within walking distance of restaurants, shops, and neighborhood amenities, this turnkey property is an ex

Key facts

• 2,639 sq ft lot
• Built 1888
• Listed 5 days

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: On-street parking
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer; Electric service (other)
• Home design: Single family residence; Residential property; One level (with finished lower level/basement)
• Construction: Brick construction
• Exterior features: Deck; Front porch; Back yard fencing; Level lot

Interior

• Kitchen: Electric oven; Range / Electric range; Gas range; Refrigerator
• Bedrooms: 2 bedrooms (both on the upper level)
• Flooring: Wood flooring
• Bathrooms: 2 full bathrooms (one on the main level, one in the basement)
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating; Central air conditioning; Electric cooling; Ceiling fans
• Interior features: Breakfast bar; Ceiling fans; Eat-in kitchen; Granite counters; Finished basement with storage and sleeping area; Living room fireplace

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $175k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $91 ($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 $141k (19.2% below list).
• Recommended offer: $141k (19.2% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Cap rate 6.9% vs local median 5.0% in St. Louis — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads: area grade F — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• St. Louis City (urban): math 10% / reading 18% proficiency, ranked #312 of 324 in MO (top 96%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 80% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Adams Elem. (math 2% / reading 8%, grade F, #1,072 of 1,115 statewide, top 98%, 174 students, 98% FRL); Vashon High (math 2% / reading 2%, grade F, #520 of 521 statewide, top 100%, 568 students, 100% FRL) — zoned schools average 99% FRL vs 80% district-wide (18 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+6.2%/yr); 98 active listings in the ZIP; 40 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals leasing fast (median 8d on market — plan ~1-2 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 294 units permitted in St. Louis city in 2024 (227 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $5k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• St. Louis County population projected to shrink 6% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.

Negotiation context

• Only 5 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1888 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→21/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $141,342 (19.2% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1888 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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: 0.81% ✗
• Cap rate: 6.91%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.22%
• DSCR: 1.10
• GRM: 10.3

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $140,580
• Comps found: 1

Show comp detail 1 sale within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
1304 S Boyle Ave	0.08mi	1/1.0 (-1)	704 (+7%)	5mo	$149,900	$213	76

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 · 6.24% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: -9.7%
• Equity multiple: 0.63×
• Total profit: $-17,928
• Equity at exit: $26,093

10-year hold

• IRR: 3.1%
• Equity multiple: 1.25×
• Total profit: $12,306
• Equity at exit: $15,131

Cash invested: $49,000 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 81 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Missouri: 81 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+10
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Generally landlord-friendly; St Louis has some habitability requirements.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 63110

• Rents YoY: 6.2%
• Active inventory: 98
• Price-to-rent: 10.3×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,413 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$918
• Tax from tax record: −$35 /mo · $426/yr
• Insurance: −$73
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$297
• Net cashflow: $91

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,299

Max offer price $175,000

Occupancy floor 89%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $190	-5% $140	+0% $91	+5% $41	+10% $-9
Rent	-10% $-21	-5% $35	+0% $91	+5% $146	+10% $202
Rate	-1.0pp $179	-0.5pp $135	base $91	+0.5pp $45	+1.0pp $-1

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: $43,750
• Closing costs: $5,250
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 40 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
4264 Norfolk Ave Unit 2E St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	683	$950	$1.39	8d	1	0.14mi
4164 Folsom Ave Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	672	$795	$1.18	44d	1	0.23mi
1613 Tower Grove Ave Unit 1613-1B St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	750	$1,495	$1.99	3d	1	0.29mi
4143 Manchester Ave Unit 4143 St. Louis, MO	2.0	2.0	706	$1,600	$2.27	8d	1	0.30mi
4400 Manchester Ave Saint Louis, MO	2.0	1.0	672	$1,900	$2.83	11d	6	0.36mi
4041 Chouteau Ave St. Louis, MO	3.0	1.0–2.0	990	$2,633	$2.66	2d	39	0.42mi
4041 Chouteau Ave St. Louis, MO	3.0	1.0–2.0	990	$2,432	$2.45	15d	53	0.42mi
4591 McRee Ave St. Louis, MO	2.0	1.0–2.0	909	$2,808	$3.09	3d	59	0.45mi
4501 Manchester Ave Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	502	$963	$1.92	5d	1	0.45mi
4500 Swan Ave St. Louis, MO	2.0	1.0–2.0	711	$2,235	$3.14	44d	25	0.46mi
3850 Park Ave Unit 11 St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	550	$699	$1.27	12d	1	0.60mi
3850 Park Ave Unit 12 St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	550	$699	$1.27	24d	1	0.60mi
3844 Park Ave Unit 11 St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	550	$799	$1.45	44d	1	0.61mi
3866 McRee Ave Unit 2E St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	550	$799	$1.45	5d	1	0.64mi
3625 McRee Ave Unit A St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	700	$1,200	$1.71	2d	1	0.85mi
3623 McRee Ave Unit A St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	700	$1,099	$1.57	5d	1	0.85mi
1500 S Grand Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	708	$1,695	$2.39	2d	1	0.88mi
1517 S Theresa Ave St. Louis, MO	3.0	1.0	770	$1,595	$2.07	5d	8	0.96mi
2100 Boardman St Saint Louis, MO	2.0	1.0–2.0	765	$3,118	$4.08	2d	17	1.03mi
3965 Laclede Ave Saint Louis, MO	1.0–2.0	1.0–2.0	872	$1,685	$1.93	3d	4	1.04mi
4133-4141 Magnolia Ave Unit 4135-4 St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	520	$1,125	$2.16	2d	1	1.04mi
4145 Magnolia Ave Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	450	$890	$1.98	18d	1	1.06mi
4535 Forest Park Ave Saint Louis, MO	1.0–2.0	1.0–2.0	1017	$2,645	$2.60	3d	15	1.10mi
4065 W Pine Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0–3.0	1.0–2.0	1075	$1,900	$1.77	44d	8	1.12mi
3929-3931 Magnolia Ave St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	540	$895	$1.66	5d	2	1.13mi
4242 Lindell Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0–2.0	1.0–2.0	820	$1,625	$1.98	16d	4	1.15mi
4242 Lindell Blvd Apt 102 St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	740	$1,300	$1.76	24d	1	1.15mi
3301 Park Ave Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0–1.5	795	$1,265	$1.59	5d	3	1.17mi
4020 Lindell Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	425	$795	$1.87	44d	1	1.17mi
4400 Lindell Blvd Saint Louis, MO	2.0	1.0–2.0	950	$2,540	$2.67	2d	15	1.21mi
374 S Grand Blvd Saint Louis, MO	4.0	1.0–2.0	875	$1,038	$1.19	3d	124	1.23mi
18 S Kingshighway Blvd Saint Louis, MO	4.0	1.0–2.0	730	$1,865	$2.55	44d	42	1.27mi
18 S Kingshighway Blvd Saint Louis, MO	3.0	1.0–2.0	780	$2,122	$2.72	3d	52	1.27mi
300 S Grand Blvd St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	428	$1,025	$2.39	5d	7	1.28mi
3316 Russell Blvd St. Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	650	$880	$1.35	3d	1	1.29mi
3314 Russell Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	650	$880	$1.35	24d	1	1.29mi
3312 Russell Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	650	$880	$1.35	22d	1	1.30mi
5252 Bischoff Ave St. Louis, MO	2.0	1.0	750	$1,225	$1.63	44d	1	1.31mi
4616 Lindell Blvd Saint Louis, MO	1.0	1.0	617	$1,450	$2.35	8d	6	1.32mi
4907 W Pine Blvd Saint Louis, MO	2.0	1.0–2.0	750	$1,649	$2.20	44d	1	1.32mi

Listing history 5 events

1. 2026-06-16
   status $175,000 Pending 5 DOM
2. 2026-06-15
   days on market $175,000 Active 5 DOM
3. 2026-06-13
   statusdays on market $175,000 Active 3 DOM
4. 2026-06-08
   remarks 699-char remark
5. 2026-06-08
   listed $175,000 Coming Soon 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 MO · Resets to sale price

• Current annual tax: $426 · $35/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,698 · $141/mo
• Expected delta: +$1,272/yr (+$106/mo · 298.9%)

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

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 4/10 Moderate FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 22% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 6/10 Major 7 d/yr ≥108°F today · 21 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low 100% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 3/10 Moderate 3 unhealthy d/yr today · 4 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $16,961
• − Mortgage interest: −$9,803
• − Property taxes: −$426
• − Insurance: −$875
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,357
• − Management: −$1,357
• − Depreciation: −$5,091
• Taxable loss: −$1,947
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$467
• After-tax cash flow: $1,553/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: St. Louis City
• NCES district ID: 2929280
• Math proficiency: 10% ▼ -6.00%
• Reading proficiency: 18% ▼ -3.00%
• Median HH income: $35,685
• Composite: 11.54/100
• National rank: #9699
• State rank: #312 of 324 in MO

Livability — St. Louis

No livability data for this city. (Only ~50 U.S. cities are tracked.)

Census & demographics

• Census place: St. Louis, MO
• County: Saint Louis City · 254,015 people
• City population: 283,259
• Metro: St. Louis, MO-IL
• Population (ZIP): 17,645
• Household income: $81,655
• Rent vs Own: 56.4% rent · 43.6% own
• Severe rent burden: 921.0

Population outlook (St. Louis County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 315,737 people
• By 2030: 313,865 · -0.6%
• By 2040: 305,439 · -3.3%
• By 2050: 296,529 · -6.1%
• By 2075: 271,028 · -14.2%
• By 2100: 255,359 · -19.1%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Majority White (65%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 65% Black 19% Two or more races 9% Hispanic / Latino 8% Asian 4%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 5%
• Common ancestry: Lithuanian 5% Slovak 3% Italian 3%
• Foreign-born: 6% · Canada, China, South Korea
• Languages at home: 91% English-only · Spanish 3% French/Haitian/Cajun 1% Other Asian/Pacific 1%

Political lean MEDSL · St. Louis

• 2024 margin: Solid D (+64.7) · D 81.4% · R 16.7% · Other 2.0%
• 2008→2024 swing: -3.5pp toward R · 2008: 68.2pp · 2024: 64.7pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+64.7 2020: D+66.2 2016: D+63.7 2012: D+66.6 2008: D+68.2

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -206.93%
• Current HPI: 342.2466
• Rent YoY: ▲ 6.24%
• Metro: St. Louis, MO-IL
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.84%
• F500 in state: 20

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in MO)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Healthcare	1	$163B
▸Insurance	1	$21B
▸Industrial Technology	1	$17B
▸Retail	1	$16B
▸Industrial Distribution	1	$10B
▸Utilities	1	$9B

Price history

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-08 Coming Soon $175,000 MARIS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 1997-02-01 Sold (Public Records) — Public Records

Property tax history

+6.7%/yr

Latest (2022): $426 · +0.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.