717 E 7th St

Mishawaka, IN 46544

$75,000B

4 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,848 sqft · Built 1909 · SingleFamily · Pending · 23 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,720/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$393
• Tax + insurance: −$143
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$361
• Net cashflow: $822/mo
• Annual: $9,869/yr
• Cap rate: 19.45%
• Cash-on-cash: 47.00%
• DSCR: 3.09
• 1% rule: 2.29%
• Cash to close: $21,000

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $75k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $822 ($10k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $75k).
• It's been on market 23 days — a 2% lower offer ($74k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $74k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $519 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 76/100 on livability (#53 in IN, #3,586 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety B; Watch: amenities F, employment F.
• School City Of Mishawaka (urban): math 23% / reading 30% proficiency, ranked #260 of 301 in IN (top 86%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Emmons Elementary School (math 14% / reading 14%, grade F, #874 of 994 statewide, top 89%, 435 students, 87% FRL); John J Young Middle School (math 17% / reading 30%, grade F, #257 of 330 statewide, top 79%, 735 students, 74% FRL); Mishawaka High School (math 24% / reading 60%, grade F, #197 of 369 statewide, top 57%, 1,488 students, 65% FRL) — zoned schools average 75% FRL vs 54% district-wide (21 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: built in 1909 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+9.1%/yr); 140 active listings in the ZIP; 7 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 14d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 754 units permitted in St. Joseph County in 2024 (460 in 5+ unit buildings).
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 8.0% rent growth), your $21k cash investment doubles in ~3 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 19.5% vs local median 5.3% in Mishawaka — 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 runs 35% of the median local income ($59k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1909 — 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.
• 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.