226 Lafontaine St

Huntington, IN 46750

$185,000C-

4 bd · 3.0 ba · 2,664 sqft · Built 1900 · MultiFamily · Pending · 20 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,129/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$970
• Tax + insurance: −$190
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$447
• Net cashflow: $522/mo
• Annual: $6,266/yr
• Cap rate: 9.68%
• Cash-on-cash: 12.10%
• DSCR: 1.54
• 1% rule: 1.15%
• Cash to close: $51,800

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/3.0-bath multifamily listed at $185k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $522 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $185k).
• It's been on market 20 days — a 2% lower offer ($182k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $182k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $6k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 69/100 on livability (#193 in IN) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: health & safety C-, employment D, amenities F.
• Huntington County Community School Corporation (rural): math 34% / reading 39% proficiency, ranked #176 of 301 in IN (top 58%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Horace Mann Elementary (math 38% / reading 29%, grade F, #631 of 994 statewide, top 64%, 458 students, 68% FRL); Riverview School (math 29% / reading 40%, grade F, #167 of 330 statewide, top 52%, 503 students, 54% FRL); Huntington North High School (math 30% / reading 55%, grade F, #195 of 369 statewide, top 53%, 1,424 students, 42% FRL) — zoned schools average 54% FRL vs 37% district-wide (17 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 112 active listings in the ZIP; 79 units permitted in Huntington County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Huntington County population projected at -14% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $52k cash investment doubles in ~10 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Climate carrying-cost: major flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 9.7% vs local median 4.3% in Huntington — 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

• Built in 1900 — 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 D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
• 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 apartment / multifamily construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply (>2% of stock underway) typically softens rents 12–24 months out; light construction supports rent growth.