1000 9th Street South St #121

St. James, MN 56081

$77,500D

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,066 sqft · Built 1980 · SingleFamily · Active · 40 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $825/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$406
• Tax + insurance: −$129
• HOA: −$795
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$173
• Net cashflow: $-679/mo
• Annual: $-8,146/yr
• Cap rate: -4.22%
• Cash-on-cash: -37.54%
• DSCR: -0.67
• 1% rule: 1.06%
• Cash to close: $21,700

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $78k. Condition is rated fair.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-679 ($-8k/yr) — negative.
• Rent doesn't cover operating costs at any purchase price — skip.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($825 rent vs $78k).
• It's been on market 40 days — a 3% lower offer ($75k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $75k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• In year one you build about $8k of equity ($536 loan paydown + $7k appreciation (9.0% local appreciation)).
• Location reads: area grade D — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• St. James Public School District (town): math 36% / reading 43% proficiency, ranked #226 of 301 in MN (top 75%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Watch-outs: HOA is 96% of rent.
• Market conditions: 32 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 4 units permitted in Watonwan County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Watonwan County population projected to shrink 10% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• 2 sale attempts since 2y 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.
• By year 5, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$35k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
• Cap rate -4.2% vs local median 3.5% in St. James — below-typical yield; the buyer is paying a premium for something (appreciation thesis, condition, location) that the cap rate doesn't capture.

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?
• It's been on market 40 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Have any recent inspections been done? Can we get a copy of the seller's disclosures and any deferred-maintenance estimates?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• 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.

Repairs flagged (vision-AI assessment)

• Minor: kitchen cabinets — slight wear
• Minor: bathroom shower door — frosted glass
• Minor: landscaping — needs trimming