26 Willowood Dr

Valley Falls, SC 29303

$204,900D+

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,798 sqft · Built 1974 · SingleFamily · Active · 20 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,795/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,075
• Tax + insurance: −$361
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$377
• Net cashflow: $-18/mo
• Annual: $-213/yr
• Cap rate: 6.19%
• Cash-on-cash: -0.37%
• DSCR: 0.98
• 1% rule: 0.88%
• Cash to close: $57,372

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $205k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-18 ($-213/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $202k (1.5% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $180k (12.4% below list).
• It's been on market 20 days — a 2% lower offer ($202k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $180k (12.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• 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 (#72 in SC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A-; Watch: crime C-, amenities F, employment D-.
• Spartanburg 02 (suburban): math 49% / reading 56% proficiency, ranked #6 of 80 in SC (top 8%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: James H. Hendrix Elementary (math 55% / reading 45%, grade D+, #163 of 597 statewide, top 28%, 694 students, 89% FRL); Boiling Springs Middle (math 39% / reading 50%, grade D, #52 of 229 statewide, top 23%, 1,068 students, 70% FRL); Boiling Springs High (math 62% / reading 88%, grade A-, #37 of 196 statewide, top 18%, 2,671 students, 60% FRL) — zoned schools average 73% FRL vs 44% district-wide (28 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+3.7%/yr); 378 active listings in the ZIP; 3,129 units permitted in Spartanburg County in 2024 (40 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Spartanburg County population projected at +18% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 6 sale attempts since 8y 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 $205k implies a 141% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→17/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 6.2% vs local median 3.9% in Valley Falls — 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 45% of the median local income ($48k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

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?
• Built in 1974 — 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 F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
• 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.