603 Utah Ln · Chester, WV 26034

$48,900

1 bd · 1.0 ba · 550 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 102 Days on market

Built 1900 2,238 sqft lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the B+ 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).

• Cash flow +30.0/30.0
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Appreciation +6.3/10.0
• Livability +3.7/5.0
• Schools +3.4/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0

Listing remarks

Whether you are looking for an easily maintainable rental to add to your portfolio, or you are in search of the right home to call your own, don't pass up this property! This home is located at the edge of city limits, within easy walking distance to all local shops and restaurants. This property has one bedroom with a bonus room that could easily become a second bedroom, a nursery, or even an office space. It also offers a charming eat-in kitchen, main floor laundry, and a cozy living room. Call today to book your tour!

Key facts

• Cozy living room
• Bonus room
• Main floor laundry

Tags

• WALKING DISTANCE TO SHOPS
• BONUS ROOM
• EAT-IN KITCHEN
• MAIN FLOOR LAUNDRY
• COZY LIVING ROOM

Property features AI

Finance

• Other:
• Financial info:
• HOA & community:

Exterior

• Parking: Gravel parking; Parking pad; On-street parking
• Security:
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-story home; Shingle roof
• Construction: Built (year from assessor); Vinyl siding construction; Shingle roof; Full basement
• Exterior features: Small lot (approx. 0.0514 acres); Vinyl siding

Interior

• Kitchen:
• Bedrooms: 1 main-level bedroom
• Flooring:
• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom (main level)
• Heating & cooling: Forced-air heating (gas)
• Interior features: Full basement
• Laundry & utility:

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 1-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $49k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $288 ($3k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($765 rent vs $49k).
• Recommended offer: $44k (9.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 73/100 on livability (#36 in WV, #5,000 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: schools D, amenities F, commute F.
• Hancock County Schools (urban): math 37% / reading 43% proficiency, ranked #7 of 55 in WV (top 13%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: 17 active listings in the ZIP; 15 units permitted in Hancock County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $2k of equity ($338 loan paydown + $1k appreciation (2.5% local appreciation)).
• Hancock County population projected at -15% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (2.5% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $14k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 102 days — a 9% lower offer ($44k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Current owner paid $6k; list at $49k implies a 789% 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 $44,499 (9.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 102 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 9% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
2. Built in 1900 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
4. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
5. 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?
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: 1.56% ✓
• Cap rate: 13.35%
• Cash-on-cash: 25.22%
• DSCR: 2.12
• GRM: 5.3

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $22,000
• Comps found: 1

Show comp detail 1 sale within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
1004 Collins Memorial Dr	0.46mi	1/1.0	576 (+5%)	24mo	$23,000	$40	51

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

Projected returns pro-forma

2.52% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 30.4%
• Equity multiple: 2.68×
• Total profit: $22,992
• Equity at exit: $20,685

10-year hold

• IRR: 31.2%
• Equity multiple: 5.22×
• Total profit: $57,721
• Equity at exit: $30,900

Cash invested: $13,692 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State West Virginia: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+22
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Landlord-favorable; preempted; minimal protections.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 26034

• Home prices YoY: 1.8%
• Active inventory: 17
• Price-to-rent: 5.3×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $765 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$256
• Tax from tax record: −$40 /mo · $474/yr
• Insurance: −$20
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$161
• Net cashflow: $288

Break-even live

Break-even rent $400

Max offer price $48,900

Occupancy floor 57%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $315	-5% $302	+0% $288	+5% $274	+10% $260
Rent	-10% $227	-5% $258	+0% $288	+5% $318	+10% $348
Rate	-1.0pp $312	-0.5pp $300	base $288	+0.5pp $275	+1.0pp $262

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: $12,225
• Closing costs: $1,467
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 21 events

1. 2026-06-21
   days on market $48,900 Active 102 DOM
2. 2026-06-19
   days on market $48,900 Active 100 DOM
3. 2026-06-18
   days on market $48,900 Active 99 DOM
4. 2026-06-17
   days on market $48,900 Active 98 DOM
5. 2026-06-16
   days on market $48,900 Active 97 DOM
6. 2026-06-15
   days on market $48,900 Active 96 DOM
7. 2026-06-14
   days on market $48,900 Active 94 DOM
8. 2026-06-12
   days on market $48,900 Active 93 DOM
9. 2026-06-09
   days on market $48,900 Active 90 DOM
10. 2026-06-08
    days on market $48,900 Active 89 DOM
11. 2026-06-07
    days on market $48,900 Active 88 DOM
12. 2026-06-07
    days on market $48,900 Active 87 DOM
13. 2026-06-04
    days on market $48,900 Active 84 DOM
14. 2026-06-02
    days on market $48,900 Active 83 DOM
15. 2026-06-01
    days on market $48,900 Active 82 DOM
16. 2026-05-31
    days on market $48,900 Active 81 DOM
17. 2026-05-31
    days on market $48,900 Active 80 DOM
18. 2026-04-15
    price $48,900
19. 2026-03-30
    price $50,900
20. 2026-03-10
    listed $57,900 Active
21. 1982-06-11
    soldstatus $5,500

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

Tax reassessment forecast WV · Resets to sale price

• Current annual tax: $474 · $40/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $474 · $40/mo
• Expected delta: $0/yr ($0/mo · 0.0%)

ⓘ 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 2/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥96°F today · 18 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 1/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $9,176
• − Mortgage interest: −$2,739
• − Property taxes: −$474
• − Insurance: −$244
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$734
• − Management: −$734
• − Depreciation: −$1,423
• Taxable income: $2,827
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$679
• After-tax cash flow: $2,774/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: Hancock County Schools
• NCES district ID: 5400450
• Math proficiency: 37% ▼ -11.00%
• Reading proficiency: 43% ▼ -5.00%
• Median HH income: $39,803
• Composite: 33.5/100
• National rank: #5445
• State rank: #7 of 55 in WV

Livability — Chester

• Score: 73/100
• State rank: #36
• US rank: #5000

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Chester, WV
• Population (ZIP): 4,555

Population outlook (Hancock County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 28,704 people
• By 2030: 27,913 · -2.8%
• By 2040: 26,078 · -9.1%
• By 2050: 24,521 · -14.6%
• By 2075: 21,630 · -24.6%
• By 2100: 17,867 · -37.8%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (96%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 96% Pacific Islander 2% Two or more races 2%
• Common ancestry: Serbian 9% Romanian 3% Lithuanian 2%
• Languages at home: 99% English-only · Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Hancock

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+46.8) · D 25.8% · R 72.6% · Other 1.6%
• 2008→2024 swing: -31.6pp toward R · 2008: -15.2pp · 2024: -46.8pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+46.8 2020: R+43.6 2016: R+44.5 2012: R+21.6 2008: R+15.2

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 2.52%
• Current HPI: 146.1433
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: —
• F500 in state: 0

Price history

+789.1% since first listed

4 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-15 Price Changed $48,900 MLSNOW
• 2026-03-30 Price Changed $50,900 MLSNOW
• 2026-03-10 Listed $57,900 MLSNOW
• 1982-06-11 Sold (Public Records) $5,500 Public Records

Property tax history

+6.4%/yr

Latest (2025): $474 · +4.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.