304 W Oak Ave

Easton, MD 21601

$349,000C

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,820 sqft · Built 1959 · SingleFamily · Pending · 246 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,241/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,830
• Tax + insurance: −$227
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$681
• Net cashflow: $504/mo
• Annual: $6,045/yr
• Cap rate: 8.03%
• Cash-on-cash: 6.19%
• DSCR: 1.28
• 1% rule: 0.93%
• Cash to close: $97,720

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $349k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $504 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $324k (7.1% below list).
• It's been on market 246 days — a 12% lower offer ($307k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $307k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• 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 71/100 on livability (#154 in MD) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: health & safety A+, housing A-, employment B+; Watch: amenities C-, schools D, crime D.
• Talbot County Public Schools (town): math 15% / reading 35% proficiency, ranked #12 of 24 in MD (top 50%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Watch-outs: built in 1959 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 207 active listings in the ZIP; 7 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 44d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 100% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; solid renter incomes; 158 units permitted in Talbot County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Talbot County population projected at -10% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Current owner paid $108k; list at $349k implies a 225% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 56% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→16/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 8.0% vs local median 3.8% in Easton — 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 $3,241/mo this rent would consume 46% of the median local household income ($84k/yr) (locally 771% 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 246 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1959 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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 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?
• Crime grade is D in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
• 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.