657 Marie Ave

Level Park-Oak Park, MI 49037

$123,200C+

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 966 sqft · Built 1940 · SingleFamily · Active · 156 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,284/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$646
• Tax + insurance: −$128
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$270
• Net cashflow: $241/mo
• Annual: $2,894/yr
• Cap rate: 8.64%
• Cash-on-cash: 8.39%
• DSCR: 1.37
• 1% rule: 1.04%
• Cash to close: $34,496

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $123k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $241 ($3k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $123k).
• It's been on market 156 days — a 12% lower offer ($108k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $108k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $852 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads: area grade C — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Battle Creek Public Schools (urban): math 8% / reading 19% proficiency, ranked #510 of 540 in MI (top 94%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 75% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Watch-outs: built in 1940 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+11.8%/yr); 236 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; lower-income renter base — watch delinquency; 132 units permitted in Calhoun County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Calhoun County population projected at -16% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 9 sale attempts since 16y 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.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 8.0% rent growth), your $34k cash investment doubles in ~8 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• This rent runs 36% of the median local income ($43k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 156 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1940 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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.
• 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.