790 Leslie Ln · Gardendale, AL 35071

$159,000

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,296 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 25 Days on market

Built 1954 4.00 ac lot Est $232k · 31% under

---

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 +28.7/30.0
• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• 1% rule +6.7/10.0
• Livability +3.3/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +1.8/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Opportunity awaits in Gardendale! Just off Hwy 31, this 2-bedroom, 1-bath home sits on 4 acres of land—offering space, privacy, and endless potential. Whether you're looking to renovate for resale, build equity through sweat investment, or create a custom homestead, this property is a blank canvas ready for your vision. Please note - The home is being sold As-Is. No repairs or upgrades will be made by the seller.

Key facts

• Privacy
• Blank canvas
• 4 acres of land

Tags

• 4 ACRES OF LAND
• PRIVACY
• ENDLESS POTENTIAL
• BLANK CANVAS

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $159k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $528 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $159k).
• Recommended offer: $157k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Cap rate 10.3% vs local median 5.5% in Gardendale — 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 66/100 on livability (#113 in AL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, employment A-; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety F.
• Jefferson County (suburban): math 9% / reading 32% proficiency, ranked #104 of 129 in AL (top 81%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Gardendale Elementary School (math 20% / reading 56%, grade F, #263 of 627 statewide, top 42%, 677 students, 48% FRL); Gardendale High School (math 21% / reading 28%, grade F, #118 of 305 statewide, top 45%, 1,047 students, 48% FRL) — zoned schools at 48% FRL track the district average.
• Market conditions: 97 active listings in the ZIP; 9 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 14d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 2,114 units permitted in Jefferson County in 2024 (556 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.
• Jefferson County population projected to shrink 4% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $45k cash investment doubles in ~9 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 25 days — a 2% lower offer ($157k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1954 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 27% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $156,615 (1.5% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1954 — 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. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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: 1.17% ✓
• Cap rate: 10.28%
• Cash-on-cash: 14.24%
• DSCR: 1.63
• GRM: 7.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $231,984
• Comps found: 12

Show comp detail 12 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
257 Flint Ave	0.10mi	4/2.0 (+1)	1,281 (-1%)	5mo	$186,000	$145	80
220 Honeysuckle Ln	0.08mi	3/2.0	1,235 (-5%)	10mo	$185,000	$150	76
313 Twin Lawn Dr	0.65mi	3/2.0	1,276 (-2%)	6mo	$193,000	$151	58
4051 Fulton Springs Ln	0.65mi	3/2.0	1,325 (+2%)	6mo	$245,000	$185	57
537 Tambay Dr	0.66mi	3/2.0	1,380 (+6%)	1mo	$251,500	$182	54
133 Lark St	0.20mi	3/1.5	1,109 (-14%)	16mo	$139,900	$126	52
1804 Frankfort Ln	0.63mi	3/2.0	1,200 (-7%)	6mo	$215,000	$179	49
4078 Fulton Springs Ln	0.63mi	2/2.0 (-1)	1,210 (-7%)	5mo	$235,000	$194	46
233 Powell Dr	0.67mi	3/1.0	1,144 (-12%)	6mo	$99,000	$87	45
4086 Fulton Springs Ln	0.62mi	2/2.0 (-1)	1,210 (-7%)	10mo	$244,900	$202	42
4029 Fulton Springs Ln	0.68mi	3/2.0	1,430 (+10%)	8mo	$260,000	$182	40
1810 Frankfort Ln	0.65mi	3/1.5	1,134 (-12%)	12mo	$190,000	$168	37

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: 4.5%
• Equity multiple: 1.18×
• Total profit: $7,804
• Equity at exit: $23,707

10-year hold

• IRR: 14.0%
• Equity multiple: 2.12×
• Total profit: $49,828
• Equity at exit: $13,747

Cash invested: $44,520 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Alabama: 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+15
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Right-to-evict in 7 days for non-payment; no rent control; preempted statewide; courts move quickly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 35071

• Home prices YoY: -21.1%
• Active inventory: 97
• Price-to-rent: 7.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,859 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$834
• Tax from tax record: −$40 /mo · $481/yr
• Insurance: −$66
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$390
• Net cashflow: $528

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,190

Max offer price $159,000

Occupancy floor 67%

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: $39,750
• Closing costs: $4,770
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 9 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
359 Jamestown Manor Dr Gardendale, AL	2.0	1.5	1098	$1,199	$1.09	14d	1	0.49mi
335 Jamestown Manor Dr Gardendale, AL	3.0	2.5	1252	$1,453	$1.16	14d	1	0.50mi
387 Jamestown Manor Dr Gardendale, AL	2.0	1.5	1104	$1,323	$1.20	11d	1	0.52mi
3186 Sayers Rd Fultondale, AL	3.0	2.0	1700	$2,000	$1.18	19d	1	0.66mi
236 Garrison Rd Gardendale, AL	3.0	2.0	1680	$1,900	$1.13	43d	1	0.87mi
1041 Georgetown Ln Birmingham, AL	3.0	2.0	1262	$1,691	$1.34	1d	1	0.91mi
235 Odum Rd Gardendale, AL	3.0	2.0	1526	$2,185	$1.43	23d	1	0.91mi
716 Brookview Dr Gardendale, AL	3.0	2.0	1700	$1,873	$1.10	1d	1	0.94mi
757 Main St Unit 757-D Gardendale, AL	2.0	1.0	900	$1,130	$1.26	23d	1	1.06mi

Listing history 2 events

1. 2025-09-18
   status Pending
2. 2025-08-24
   listed $159,000 Active

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

Tax reassessment forecast AL · Resets to sale price

• Current annual tax: $481 · $40/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $652 · $54/mo
• Expected delta: +$171/yr (+$14/mo · 35.5%)

ⓘ 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 3/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 6/10 Major 7 d/yr ≥106°F today · 19 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 6/10 Major 27% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 5/10 Major 9 unhealthy d/yr today · 10 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $22,303
• − Mortgage interest: −$8,906
• − Property taxes: −$481
• − Insurance: −$795
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,784
• − Management: −$1,784
• − Depreciation: −$4,625
• Taxable income: $3,927
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$942
• After-tax cash flow: $5,395/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: Jefferson County
• NCES district ID: 0101920
• Math proficiency: 9% ▼ -24.00%
• Reading proficiency: 32% ▼ -5.00%
• Median HH income: $51,712
• Composite: 18.4/100
• National rank: #8937
• State rank: #104 of 129 in AL

Livability — Gardendale

• Score: 66/100
• State rank: #113
• US rank: #12225

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Gardendale, AL
• County: Jefferson County · 527,445 people
• City population: 17,288
• Metro: Birmingham-Hoover, AL
• Population (ZIP): 17,288
• Household income: $82,074
• Rent vs Own: 22.5% rent · 77.5% own
• Severe rent burden: 151.0

Population outlook (Jefferson County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 669,185 people
• By 2030: 669,694 · +0.1%
• By 2040: 661,388 · -1.2%
• By 2050: 643,086 · -3.9%
• By 2075: 577,267 · -13.7%
• By 2100: 474,758 · -29.1%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (69%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 69% Black 21% Two or more races 4% Hispanic / Latino 2% Asian 1%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 3% Serbian 2% Italian 2%
• Foreign-born: 1% · Canada
• Languages at home: 98% English-only · Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Jefferson

• 2024 margin: D (+10.4) · D 54.6% · R 44.2% · Other 1.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: +5.4pp toward D · 2008: 5.1pp · 2024: 10.4pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+10.4 2020: D+13.2 2016: D+7.2 2012: D+6.0 2008: D+5.1

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -55.29%
• Current HPI: 206.7447
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Birmingham-Hoover, AL
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.94%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in AL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$8B
▸Healthcare	1	$5B

Price history

2 events — show timeline

• 2025-09-18 Pending — Greater Alabama MLS
• 2025-08-24 Listed $159,000 Greater Alabama MLS