280 W Seminary St · Richland Center, WI 53581

$115,000

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,484 sqft · Other · 24 Days on market

Built 1900 2,178 sqft lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the D grade

The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).

• Appreciation +10.0/10.0
• Cash flow +8.4/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Livability +3.7/5.0
• 1% rule +2.8/10.0
• Schools +2.6/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• DSCR +2.3/10.0

Listing remarks

Unlock the possibilities with this unique mixed-use opportunity in the heart of downtown Richland Center! This 3-bedroom property is ideally located within walking distance to local shops, dining, and community attractions, offering both convenience and potential. Looking for multiple income streams? The main floor is designated for commercial use and is ready for your vision; whether you dream of opening a cozy coffee shop, charming caf, boutique, office space, or another business venture. Upstairs offers additional value with living space that could be utilized as a rental unit, creating an excellent opportunity for supplemental income. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or someone

Key facts

• Live-work setup
• Rental unit
• 2,178 sq ft lot

Tags

• DESIGNATED FOR COMMERCIAL USE
• RENTAL UNIT
• LIVE-WORK SETUP
• PRIME DOWNTOWN LOCATION

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Zoned Commercial; Lot size about 0.05 acre

Exterior

• Utilities: Municipal water; Municipal sewer; Natural gas service
• Home design: Two-story single-family home; Estimated finished above-grade area about 1,484
• Construction: Wood construction
• Exterior features: Wood exterior

Interior

• Kitchen: Kitchen on main level — 12 x 18; Stove; Refrigerator
• Bedrooms: Primary bedroom (Upper) — 11 x 15; Bedroom 2 (Upper) — 10 x 11; Bedroom 3 (Upper) — 12 x 14
• Bathrooms: One full bathroom; No en-suite in primary bedroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating (natural gas); Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Full basement; Main-level living room; Upper-level bedrooms
• Laundry & utility: Washer; Dryer; Window air conditioner included

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath other listed at $115k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-102 ($-1k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $97k (15.7% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $90k (22.1% below list).
• Recommended offer: $90k (22.1% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Cap rate 5.2% vs local median 2.0% in Richland Center — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 74/100 on livability (#167 in WI, #4,412 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment C-, commute F.
• Richland School District (rural): math 27% / reading 33% proficiency, ranked #279 of 342 in WI (top 82%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Richland Center Primary School (math 22% / reading 12%, grade F, #885 of 1,041 statewide, top 86%, 288 students, 66% FRL); Richland Center High (math 37% / reading 57%, grade D-, #50 of 483 statewide, top 11%, 563 students, 52% FRL).
• Market conditions: 53 active listings in the ZIP; 30 units permitted in Richland County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $12k of equity ($795 loan paydown + $12k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Richland County population projected at -27% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• By year 3, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$31k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 24 days — a 2% lower offer ($113k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Current owner paid $59k; list at $115k implies a 95% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: moderate flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $89,559 (22.1% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. 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?
2. Built in 1900 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. Schools are D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
5. 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?
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 0.78% ✗
• Cap rate: 5.23%
• Cash-on-cash: -3.80%
• DSCR: 0.83
• GRM: 10.7

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

10.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 21.6%
• Equity multiple: 2.74×
• Total profit: $56,152
• Equity at exit: $103,601

10-year hold

• IRR: 19.5%
• Equity multiple: 6.30×
• Total profit: $170,518
• Equity at exit: $223,420

Cash invested: $32,200 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 73 Landlord-Friendly
• State Wisconsin: 73 Landlord-Friendly · R+2
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

5-day notice; preempted; Madison / Milwaukee have some local enforcement.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 53581

• Home prices YoY: 25.4%
• Active inventory: 53
• Price-to-rent: 10.7×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $896 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$603
• Tax from tax record: −$159 /mo · $1,903/yr
• Insurance: −$48
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$188
• Net cashflow: $-102

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,025

Max offer price $96,965

Occupancy floor —

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $-37	-5% $-70	+0% $-102	+5% $-135	+10% $-167
Rent	-10% $-173	-5% $-137	+0% $-102	+5% $-67	+10% $-31
Rate	-1.0pp $-44	-0.5pp $-73	base $-102	+0.5pp $-132	+1.0pp $-162

UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt

Financing live

Cash to close

• Down payment: $28,750
• Closing costs: $3,450
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 19 events

1. 2026-06-21
   days on market $115,000 Active 24 DOM
2. 2026-06-18
   days on market $115,000 Active 22 DOM
3. 2026-06-17
   days on market $115,000 Active 21 DOM
4. 2026-06-16
   days on market $115,000 Active 20 DOM
5. 2026-06-15
   days on market $115,000 Active 19 DOM
6. 2026-06-15
   days on market $115,000 Active 18 DOM
7. 2026-06-13
   days on market $115,000 Active 17 DOM
8. 2026-06-12
   days on market $115,000 Active 16 DOM
9. 2026-06-09
   days on market $115,000 Active 13 DOM
10. 2026-06-08
    days on market $115,000 Active 12 DOM
11. 2026-06-08
    days on market $115,000 Active 11 DOM
12. 2026-06-07
    days on market $115,000 Active 10 DOM
13. 2026-06-03
    days on market $115,000 Active 7 DOM
14. 2026-06-02
    days on market $115,000 Active 6 DOM
15. 2026-06-01
    days on market $115,000 Active 5 DOM
16. 2026-05-31
    days on market $115,000 Active 4 DOM
17. 2026-05-27
    listed $115,000 Active
18. 2015-07-20
    soldstatus $59,000
19. 2014-09-16
    soldstatus $50,000

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast WI · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,903 · $159/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $2,015 · $168/mo
• Expected delta: +$112/yr (+$9/mo · 5.9%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 5/10 Major FEMA zone X · 24% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥101°F today · 15 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 1 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $10,747
• − Mortgage interest: −$6,442
• − Property taxes: −$1,903
• − Insurance: −$575
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$860
• − Management: −$860
• − Depreciation: −$3,345
• Taxable loss: −$3,238
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$777
• After-tax cash flow: $-448/yr

For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Richland School District
• NCES district ID: 5512960
• Math proficiency: 27% ▼ -8.00%
• Reading proficiency: 33% ▲ 1.00%
• Median HH income: $44,365
• Composite: 25.64/100
• National rank: #7404
• State rank: #279 of 342 in WI

Livability — Richland Center

• Score: 74/100
• State rank: #167
• US rank: #4412

Category grades

Amenities B- Commute F Cost of living A+ Crime B+ Employment C- Housing A+ Health & safety A+ User ratings F

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Richland Center, WI
• Population (ZIP): 10,141

Population outlook (Richland County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 16,285 people
• By 2030: 15,488 · -4.9%
• By 2040: 13,716 · -15.8%
• By 2050: 11,950 · -26.6%
• By 2075: 8,697 · -46.6%
• By 2100: 6,192 · -62.0%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (92%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 92% Hispanic / Latino 3% Two or more races 3% Black 1% Asian 1%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 12% Romanian 3% Lithuanian 3%
• Foreign-born: 3% · Canada, China
• Languages at home: 95% English-only · German/W. Germanic 3% Spanish 2%

Political lean MEDSL · Richland

• 2024 margin: R (+13.1) · D 42.8% · R 56.0% · Other 1.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -33.8pp toward R · 2008: 20.6pp · 2024: -13.1pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+13.1 2020: R+9.7 2016: R+5.6 2012: D+16.1 2008: D+20.6

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 86.43%
• Current HPI: 426.17
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.10%
• F500 in state: 20

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in WI)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Industrial Machinery	4	$23B
▸Industrial Technology	2	$36B
▸Insurance	1	$36B
▸Professional Services	1	$19B
▸Utilities	1	$9B
▸Consumer Goods	1	$3B

Price history

+130.0% since first listed

3 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-27 Listed $115,000 SCWMLS
• 2015-07-20 Sold (Public Records) $59,000 Public Records
• 2014-09-16 Sold (Public Records) $50,000 Public Records

Property tax history

+2.5%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,903 · +16.9% YoY. Source: county tax records.