131 West St

Bloomsburg, PA 17815

$140,000C+

4 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,456 sqft · Built 1900 · Other · Active · 13 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,618/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$734
• Tax + insurance: −$216
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$340
• Net cashflow: $329/mo
• Annual: $3,943/yr
• Cap rate: 9.11%
• Cash-on-cash: 10.06%
• DSCR: 1.45
• 1% rule: 1.16%
• Cash to close: $39,200

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/1.5-bath other listed at $140k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $329 ($4k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $140k).
• Only 13 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $968 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 82/100 on livability (#147 in PA, #1,183 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: amenities A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment D, commute F.
• Bloomsburg Area SD (urban): math 33% / reading 57% proficiency, ranked #289 of 539 in PA (top 54%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Memorial El Sch (math 27% / reading 57%, grade F, #883 of 1,518 statewide, top 61%, 432 students, 62% FRL); Bloomsburg Area Ms (math 21% / reading 52%, grade F, #307 of 512 statewide, top 61%, 354 students, 46% FRL); Bloomsburg Area Hs (math 52%, 428 students, 43% FRL).
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+6.8%/yr); 125 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 82 units permitted in Columbia County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Columbia County population projected at -12% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Current owner paid $76k; list at $140k implies a 84% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 6.8% rent growth), your $39k cash investment doubles in ~8 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 9.1% vs local median 3.7% in Bloomsburg — 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 B-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?
• 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.