553 Carter Grove Ln

Blythewood, SC 29016

$344,965D-

5 bd · 3.0 ba · 2,518 sqft · Built 2026 · SingleFamily · Pending · 94 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,110/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,809
• Tax + insurance: −$575
• HOA: −$127
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$653
• Net cashflow: $-54/mo
• Annual: $-652/yr
• Cap rate: 6.10%
• Cash-on-cash: -0.68%
• DSCR: 0.97
• 1% rule: 0.90%
• Cash to close: $96,590

Investor read

• This is a 5-bed/3.0-bath single-family listed at $345k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-54 ($-652/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $337k (2.3% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $311k (9.9% below list).
• It's been on market 94 days — a 9% lower offer ($314k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $311k (9.9% 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 70/100 on livability (#58 in SC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety F.
• Richland 02 (suburban): math 35% / reading 47% proficiency, ranked #29 of 80 in SC (top 36%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Lake Carolina Elementary Lower Campus (494 students, 49% FRL); Blythewood Middle (math 40% / reading 57%, grade C-, #40 of 229 statewide, top 18%, 796 students, 46% FRL); Blythewood High (math 72% / reading 92%, grade A, #19 of 196 statewide, top 10%, 2,094 students, 39% FRL).
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 65% at this address vs 41% district-wide (+24 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Richland 02 average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Market conditions: 657 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 26d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 3,472 units permitted in Richland County in 2024 (1,096 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Richland County population projected at +30% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• This rent runs 39% of the median local income ($95k/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 94 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 10% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• 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.
• 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?
• 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.