3 bd · 1.5 ba ·
2,000 sqft ·
Built 1995
· SingleFamily
· Active
· 136 DOM
Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)
Estimated rent
$2,193/mo
Mortgage (P&I)
−$1,678
Tax + insurance
−$266
HOA
−$0
Vac / Maint / Mgmt
−$461
Net cashflow
$-211/mo
Annual
$-2,536/yr
Cap rate
5.50%
Cash-on-cash
-2.83%
DSCR
0.87
1% rule
0.69%
Cash to close
$89,600
Investor read
This is a 3-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $320k.
At list price, monthly cash flow is $-211 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $283k (11.7% below list).
To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $219k (31.5% below list).
It's been on market 136 days — a 12% lower offer ($282k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Recommended offer: $219k (31.5% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $10k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
Location reads 63/100 on livability (#188 in AL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment C-, crime F, amenities F.
Opelika City (urban): math 27% / reading 43% proficiency, ranked #45 of 129 in AL (top 35%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases; 62% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
Zoned schools: Jeter Primary School (422 students, 71% FRL); Opelika Middle School (math 19% / reading 39%, grade F, #134 of 257 statewide, top 53%, 1,132 students, 72% FRL); Opelika High School (math 27% / reading 24%, grade F, #111 of 305 statewide, top 37%, 1,562 students, 62% FRL).
Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+6.2%/yr); 534 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 46d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 50% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; 1,858 units permitted in Lee County in 2024 (113 in 5+ unit buildings).
Lee County population projected at +54% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
3 sale attempts since 12y ago; this cycle's ask has dropped $30k (9%) from the opening price — seller is motivated, your offer sets the floor, not the list.
Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 68% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
Cap rate 5.5% vs local median 3.8% in Opelika — 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 42% of the median local income ($62k/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?
It's been on market 136 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 31% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
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.
Crime grade is F in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
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.
CashFlowRE · CFR-342E7A4184B4J2
· Data 4 days agocashflowre.app · 2026-05-29