2541 Melrose Ave

Norwood, OH 45212

$529,900D

4 bd · 3.0 ba · 4,397 sqft · Built 1910 · MultiFamily · Active · 37 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $4,907/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$2,779
• Tax + insurance: −$925
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$1,030
• Net cashflow: $173/mo
• Annual: $2,072/yr
• Cap rate: 6.68%
• Cash-on-cash: 1.40%
• DSCR: 1.06
• 1% rule: 0.93%
• Cash to close: $148,372

Investor read

• This is a 2×2bd/1.0ba + 1×1bd/1.0ba units multifamily listed at $530k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $173 ($2k/yr) — positive. Per door: $58/mo.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $491k (7.4% below list).
• It's been on market 37 days — a 3% lower offer ($514k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $491k (7.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $4k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $16k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 79/100 on livability (#154 in OH, #2,322 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: commute A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: crime C-, employment C-, amenities D+.
• Norwood City (suburban): math 35% / reading 53% proficiency, ranked #513 of 656 in OH (top 78%) — 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: Sharpsburg Elementary (math 37% / reading 55%, grade D-, #979 of 1,584 statewide, top 62%, 259 students, 0% FRL); Norwood Middle School (math 41% / reading 57%, grade C-, #426 of 654 statewide, top 66%, 395 students, 0% FRL); Norwood High School (math 17% / reading 52%, grade F, #582 of 781 statewide, top 76%, 456 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 62% district-wide (62 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1910 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents flat; 56 active listings in the ZIP; 801 units permitted in Hamilton County in 2024 (190 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 6 sale attempts since 13y 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.
• Current owner paid $344k; list at $530k implies a 54% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 6.7% vs local median 4.9% in Norwood — 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.
• At $4,907/mo this rent would consume 81% of the median local household income ($72k/yr) (locally 1192% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 37 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 7% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Can we see the unit-by-unit rent roll, current vacancy, and any below-market leases? What's the average tenancy length?
• What capital expenditures (roof, boiler, parking lot, exteriors) have been made in the last 5 years, and what's planned in the next 2?
• Built in 1910 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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.