7520 Poplar Ave

Leeds, AL 35094

$14,000D

1 bd · 1.0 ba · 500 sqft · Built 2020 · SingleFamily · Pending · 116 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,071/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$73
• Tax + insurance: −$32
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$225
• Net cashflow: $741/mo
• Annual: $8,893/yr
• Cap rate: 69.82%
• Cash-on-cash: 226.87%
• DSCR: 11.09
• 1% rule: 7.65%
• Cash to close: $3,920

Investor read

• This is a 1-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $14k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $741 ($9k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $14k).
• It's been on market 116 days — a 9% lower offer ($13k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $13k (9.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $97 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $420 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 60/100 on livability (#286 in AL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, employment B+; Watch: crime D+, amenities F, commute F.
• Leeds City (suburban): math 20% / reading 45% proficiency, ranked #51 of 129 in AL (top 40%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Leeds Primary School (509 students, 42% FRL); Leeds High School (math 17% / reading 22%, grade F, #169 of 305 statewide, top 59%, 619 students, 52% FRL) — zoned schools at 47% FRL track the district average.
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 20% at this address vs 32% district-wide (-13 pts) — the specific schools serving this property underperform the Leeds City average; the district grade overstates school quality for this exact location.
• Market conditions: 158 active listings in the ZIP; 2,114 units permitted in Jefferson County in 2024 (556 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 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 $4k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.
• 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.
• Cap rate 69.8% vs local median 4.2% in Leeds — 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.
• This rent is only 17% of the median local income ($75k/yr) — well below the 30% rent-burden line; pricing power to push rent on renewal without tenant pushback.

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?
• 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.
• Crime grade is D in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
• 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.
• 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.