121 Waterman Ave

Tomah, WI 54660

$44,000B

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,280 sqft · Built 2001 · SingleFamily · Active · 65 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,375/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$231
• Tax + insurance: −$73
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$289
• Net cashflow: $782/mo
• Annual: $9,386/yr
• Cap rate: 27.62%
• Cash-on-cash: 76.18%
• DSCR: 4.39
• 1% rule: 3.12%
• Cash to close: $12,320

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $44k. Condition is rated good.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $782 ($9k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $44k).
• It's been on market 65 days — a 6% lower offer ($41k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $41k (6.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $304 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $1k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 79/100 on livability (#83 in WI, #2,189 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: schools C-, crime C-, amenities F.
• Tomah Area School District (town): math 27% / reading 28% proficiency, ranked #293 of 342 in WI (top 86%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Market conditions: 86 active listings in the ZIP; 8 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 15d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 93 units permitted in Monroe County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Monroe County population projected to shrink 9% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $12k cash investment doubles in ~2 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 27.6% vs local median 3.6% in Tomah — 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.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 65 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 6% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.