309 Union St

Pella, IA 50219

$249,900D

4 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,928 sqft · Built 1965 · SingleFamily · Active · 55 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,822/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,311
• Tax + insurance: −$410
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$383
• Net cashflow: $-282/mo
• Annual: $-3,379/yr
• Cap rate: 4.94%
• Cash-on-cash: -4.83%
• DSCR: 0.79
• 1% rule: 0.73%
• Cash to close: $69,972

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/2.5-bath single-family listed at $250k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-282 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $200k (19.9% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $182k (27.1% below list).
• It's been on market 55 days — a 3% lower offer ($242k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $182k (27.1% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $7k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 90/100 on livability (#6 in IA, #101 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, cost of living A+; Watch: commute F.
• Pella Community School District (town): math 85% / reading 85% proficiency, ranked #8 of 289 in IA (top 3%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 13% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Zoned schools: Lincoln Elementary School (math 82% / reading 67%, grade A, #131 of 616 statewide, top 27%, 329 students, 14% FRL); Jefferson Intermediate (math 80% / reading 85%, grade A+, #16 of 246 statewide, top 8%, 526 students, 19% FRL); Pella High School (math 85% / reading 89%, grade A, #9 of 336 statewide, top 3%, 764 students, 14% FRL) — zoned schools at 15% FRL track the district average.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+8.2%/yr); 244 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 122 units permitted in Marion County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Marion County population projected to shrink 7% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• 8 sale attempts since 16y 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.
• Current owner paid $85k; list at $250k implies a 194% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 4.9% vs local median 2.0% in Pella — 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

• 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?
• It's been on market 55 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 27% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1965 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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?
• 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?
• 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.