615 7th Ave · Belle Plaine, IA 52208

$219,000

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,624 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 1 Days on market

Built 1900 9,583 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 +7.5/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +5.9/10.0
• Livability +3.8/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• DSCR +1.6/10.0
• 1% rule +0.8/10.0

Key facts

• All new windows
• All new doors
• All new siding

Tags

• ALL NEW WINDOWS
• ALL NEW SIDING
• ALL NEW DOORS
• ALL NEW ROOF
• ALL NEW DRYWALL
• ALL NEW INSULATION

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: Detached 2-car garage with garage door opener
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-family residence; One and one-half to two stories
• Construction: Frame construction with vinyl siding; Block foundation; Home warranty included
• Exterior features: Deck; Patio

Interior

• Kitchen: Electric water heater
• Bathrooms: 2 full bathrooms
• Heating & cooling: Natural gas forced-air heating; Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Eat-in kitchen; Partial basement
• Laundry & utility: Main-level laundry

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $219k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-271 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $171k (21.8% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $128k (41.7% below list).
• Recommended offer: $128k (41.7% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 75/100 on livability (#215 in IA, #3,962 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: crime C-, amenities F, commute F.
• Belle Plaine Community School District (rural): math 68% / reading 74% proficiency, ranked #144 of 289 in IA (top 50%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Zoned schools: Longfellow Elementary School (math 72% / reading 72%, grade A-, #181 of 616 statewide, top 34%, 286 students, 44% FRL); Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High School (math 62% / reading 77%, grade B, #152 of 336 statewide, top 52%, 193 students, 35% FRL).
• Market conditions: 31 active listings in the ZIP; 34 units permitted in Benton County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $23k of equity ($2k loan paydown + $22k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Benton County population projected at -13% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• By year 2, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$38k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• Only 1 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Current owner paid $20k; list at $219k implies a 995% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $127,753 (41.7% 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 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?
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: 0.58% ✗
• Cap rate: 4.81%
• Cash-on-cash: -5.30%
• DSCR: 0.76
• GRM: 14.3

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $105,560
• Comps found: 8

Show comp detail 8 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
405 10th St	0.35mi	3/1.5 (-1)	1,802 (+11%)	6mo	$150,000	$83	54
412 13th St	0.52mi	3/1.5 (-1)	1,616 (-0%)	18mo	$102,000	$63	53
704 15th St	0.62mi	5/1.0 (+1)	1,550 (-5%)	4mo	$53,000	$34	51
1502 9th Ave	0.63mi	3/1.5 (-1)	1,526 (-6%)	9mo	$127,500	$84	46
911 4th Ave	0.36mi	3/2.0 (-1)	1,772 (+9%)	20mo	$225,000	$127	46
1509 6th Ave	0.67mi	3/1.0 (-1)	1,544 (-5%)	7mo	$62,000	$40	46
910 14th St	0.59mi	4/2.0	1,836 (+13%)	6mo	$109,000	$59	45
1104 15th St	0.72mi	4/2.0	1,458 (-10%)	5mo	$95,000	$65	45

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: 20.5%
• Equity multiple: 2.66×
• Total profit: $101,902
• Equity at exit: $197,293

10-year hold

• IRR: 18.6%
• Equity multiple: 6.11×
• Total profit: $313,401
• Equity at exit: $425,469

Cash invested: $61,320 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Iowa: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day pay-or-quit; mostly landlord-friendly statewide.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 52208

• Home prices YoY: 5.4%
• Active inventory: 31
• Price-to-rent: 14.3×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,278 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,148
• Tax from tax record: −$40 /mo · $484/yr
• Insurance: −$91
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$268
• Net cashflow: $-271

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,620

Max offer price $171,163

Occupancy floor —

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: $54,750
• Closing costs: $6,570
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 1 events

1. 2026-06-17
   listed $219,000 Active 1 DOM

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

Tax reassessment forecast IA · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $484 · $40/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,961 · $163/mo
• Expected delta: +$1,477/yr (+$123/mo · 305.2%)

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

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 4/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥103°F today · 15 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $15,330
• − Mortgage interest: −$12,267
• − Property taxes: −$484
• − Insurance: −$1,095
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,226
• − Management: −$1,226
• − Depreciation: −$6,371
• Taxable loss: −$7,340
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,762
• After-tax cash flow: $-1,488/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: Belle Plaine Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1904620
• Math proficiency: 68% ▼ -5.00%
• Reading proficiency: 74% ▬ 0.00%
• Median HH income: $42,054
• Composite: 59.42/100
• National rank: #927
• State rank: #144 of 289 in IA

Livability — Belle Plaine

• Score: 75/100
• State rank: #215
• US rank: #3962

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Belle Plaine, IA
• Population (ZIP): 2,921

Population outlook (Benton County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 25,078 people
• By 2030: 24,606 · -1.9%
• By 2040: 23,425 · -6.6%
• By 2050: 21,891 · -12.7%
• By 2075: 19,482 · -22.3%
• By 2100: 17,139 · -31.7%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (94%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 94% Hispanic / Latino 3% Two or more races 3%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 3% Portuguese 3% Lithuanian 3%
• Foreign-born: 1% · Canada
• Languages at home: 98% English-only · Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Benton

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+33.2) · D 32.8% · R 66.0% · Other 1.3%
• 2008→2024 swing: -37.7pp toward R · 2008: 4.5pp · 2024: -33.2pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+33.2 2020: R+27.5 2016: R+26.0 2012: R+0.6 2008: D+4.5

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 12.07%
• Current HPI: 237.1468
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.48%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$16B
▸Retail / Convenience	1	$15B

Price history

+852.2% since first listed

4 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-17 Listed $219,000 CRAAR, CDRMLS
• 1994-08-25 Sold (Public Records) $20,000 Public Records
• 1994-08-04 Sold (Public Records) $25,000 Public Records
• 1993-09-01 Sold (Public Records) $23,000 Public Records

Property tax history

+1.0%/yr

Latest (2025): $484 · -15.7% YoY. Source: county tax records.