519 1/2 Ridge Rd · Wilmette, IL 60091

$339,900

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 952 sqft · Townhouse · 1 Days on market

Built 1953 Good condition Est $304k · 12% over

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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).

• Cash flow +11.2/30.0
• Schools +7.7/10.0
• Livability +4.2/5.0
• Condition / age +3.8/5.0
• 1% rule +3.3/10.0
• DSCR +3.3/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• ARV discount +2.1/15.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Welcome to this charming 2 story end unit Townhouse! Located on a lovely residential street with NO HOA! Nice location, close and walkable to beautiful downtown Wilmette! Move in ready, freshly painted with neutral colors, hardwood floors in Living Room, Dining room and 2 bedrooms on the second floor. Bright filled Kitchen with southern exposure! Full Basement for extra storage or can use it for extra living space. One car deeded garage/garage spot. Backyard and deeded communal area. New Trier High School, close to shops, restaurants, expressway, Lake Michigan & more! Great investment opportunity, can rent! As-Is Condition. Come and See!

Key facts

• Full basement
• End unit townhouse
• No hoa

Tags

• END UNIT TOWNHOUSE
• NO HOA
• WALKABLE TO DOWNTOWN WILMETTE
• HARDWOOD FLOORS
• BRIGHT FILLED KITCHEN
• FULL BASEMENT

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Four-unit building; Living area source: Assessor; Age: 71-80 years
• Financial info: Special service area: No
• HOA & community: Master association fee: Not required; Pets allowed (cats and dogs)

Exterior

• Parking: Detached garage with garage door opener (off alley); One garage space, one total parking space
• Utilities: Water source: Lake Michigan; Public sewer
• Home design: Attached single property (townhouse, 2-story); Entry level: 1; Fee simple ownership; Built before 1978
• Construction: Brick construction
• Exterior features: Lot dimensions listed as 938; School bus service available

Interior

• Kitchen: Kitchen on main level (16 x 8) with luxury vinyl flooring
• Bedrooms: Master bedroom on second level (14 x 11) with hardwood floors; Second bedroom on second level (10 x 12) with hardwood floors
• Flooring: Hardwood flooring throughout main living areas; Luxury vinyl in kitchen
• Bathrooms: One full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Natural gas heating; Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Six rooms total; Full unfinished basement; Some photos virtually staged
• Laundry & utility: In-unit laundry in basement (17 x 8)

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath townhouse listed at $340k. Condition is rated good.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-132 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $321k (5.6% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $281k (17.4% below list).
• Recommended offer: $281k (17.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Cap rate 5.8% vs local median 1.9% in Wilmette — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 83/100 on livability (#43 in IL, #892 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, commute A+, employment A+; Watch: cost of living F.
• New Trier Twp Hsd 203 (suburban): math 76% / reading 80% proficiency, ranked #2 of 620 in IL (top 0%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Zoned schools: New Trier Township H S Northfield (923 students, 0% FRL).
• Market conditions: 80 active listings in the ZIP; 13 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 16d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); high-income renter base; 6,272 units permitted in Cook County in 2024 (4,658 in 5+ unit buildings).
• This rent is only 18% of the median local income ($190k/yr) — well below the 30% rent-burden line; pricing power to push rent on renewal without tenant pushback.

Forward outlook

• 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.

Negotiation context

• Only 1 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1953 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $280,636 (17.4% 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 1953 — 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 A-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: 0.83% ✗
• Cap rate: 5.83%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.66%
• DSCR: 0.93
• GRM: 10.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $303,688
• Comps found: 8

Show comp detail 8 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
509 1/2 Ridge Rd	0.02mi	2/2.0	952 (0%)	2mo	$400,000	$420	94
501-1/2 Ridge Rd	0.04mi	2/1.0	953 (+0%)	11mo	$310,000	$325	89
601 Ridge Rd #202	0.09mi	1/1.0 (-1)	900 (-6%)	2mo	$239,900	$267	80
800 Ridge Rd #108	0.22mi	2/1.0	980 (+3%)	11mo	$219,000	$223	76
701 Ridge Rd Unit 2B	0.19mi	1/1.0 (-1)	1,000 (+5%)	3mo	$200,000	$200	76
435 Ridge Rd #103	0.10mi	2/1.5	1,000 (+5%)	19mo	$237,000	$237	69
511 1/2 Ridge Rd	0.36mi	2/2.0	933 (-2%)	17mo	$297,375	$319	62
1934 Lake Ave	0.35mi	3/1.5 (+1)	1,075 (+13%)	0mo	$412,000	$383	55

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

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: -19.0%
• Equity multiple: 0.33×
• Total profit: $-63,440
• Equity at exit: $50,680

10-year hold

• IRR: -11.6%
• Equity multiple: 0.31×
• Total profit: $-65,892
• Equity at exit: $29,388

Cash invested: $95,172 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning
• State Illinois: 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning · D+7
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Chicago RTLO is among the strongest tenant ordinances in the Midwest; downstate is more landlord-friendly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 60091

• Active inventory: 80
• Price-to-rent: 10.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $2,806 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,782
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$425 /mo · $5,098/yr
• Insurance: −$142
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$589
• Net cashflow: $-132

Break-even live

Break-even rent $2,973

Max offer price $320,807

Occupancy floor 100%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $103	-5% $-14	+0% $-132	+5% $-249	+10% $-367
Rent	-10% $-354	-5% $-243	+0% $-132	+5% $-21	+10% $90
Rate	-1.0pp $39	-0.5pp $-45	base $-132	+0.5pp $-220	+1.0pp $-310

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: $84,975
• Closing costs: $10,197
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 13 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
901 Ridge Rd Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0	1000	$2,450	$2.45	25d	1	0.36mi
903 Ridge Rd Unit 2 Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0	900	$2,450	$2.72	8d	1	0.36mi
903 Ridge Rd Unit 2 Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0	900	$2,600	$2.89	25d	1	0.36mi
903 Ridge Rd Unit 2 Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0	900	$2,450	$2.72	15d	1	0.36mi
903 Ridge Rd Unit 2 Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0	900	$2,600	$2.89	21d	1	0.36mi
617 Green Bay Rd Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0–2.0	971	$5,505	$5.67	0d	9	0.73mi
2722 Central St Unit 4S Evanston, IL	2.0	1.0	1100	$3,650	$3.32	25d	1	0.89mi
1011 Central Ave Unit 2 Wilmette, IL	2.0	2.0	1100	$2,995	$2.72	15d	1	1.01mi
900 Isabella St Wilmette, IL	2.0	1.0	1064	$3,900	$3.67	0d	1	1.14mi
460 Winnetka Ave Unit 310 Winnetka, IL	1.0	1.0	915	$1,950	$2.13	8d	1	1.34mi
460 Winnetka Ave Unit 103 Winnetka, IL	1.0	1.0	770	$1,870	$2.43	8d	1	1.34mi
2537 Prairie Ave Unit 2E Evanston, IL	1.0	1.0	550	$1,800	$3.27	19d	1	1.38mi
1928 Harrison St Unit G Evanston, IL	2.0	2.0	1000	$2,450	$2.45	25d	1	1.41mi

Listing history 2 events

1. 2026-06-18
   remarks 650-char remark
2. 2026-06-18
   listed $339,900 Active 1 DOM

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

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥98°F today · 14 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low 0% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 3/10 Moderate 4 unhealthy d/yr today · 4 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $33,676
• − Mortgage interest: −$19,040
• − Property taxes: −$5,098
• − Insurance: −$1,700
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$2,694
• − Management: −$2,694
• − Depreciation: −$9,888
• Taxable loss: −$7,438
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,785
• After-tax cash flow: $202/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.

Condition & rehab AI · 13 photos

Good 75/100 Cosmetic rehab

This charming 2-story townhouse is move-in ready with good condition and neutral decor. It offers a great investment opportunity with potential for rental or resale.

Value-add opportunities

• Resale Paint the exterior — Fresh paint can make the home look more appealing
• Rental Replace the ceiling fan — A new ceiling fan can improve air circulation and comfort

Renovation cost estimate screening

Value-add ROI direction

• Resale Paint the exterior — Fresh paint can make the home look more appealing ↑
• Rental Replace the ceiling fan — A new ceiling fan can improve air circulation and comfort ↑

ⓘ Cost ranges are severity-bucket heuristics (US national rule-of-thumb). Get contractor quotes + a written scope before underwriting a rehab budget.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: New Trier Twp Hsd 203
• NCES district ID: 1728200
• Math proficiency: 76% ▼ -4.00%
• Reading proficiency: 80% ▼ -1.00%
• Median HH income: $164,521
• Composite: 76.94/100
• National rank: #103
• State rank: #2 of 620 in IL

Livability — Wilmette

• Score: 83/100
• State rank: #43
• US rank: #892

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Wilmette, IL
• County: Cook County · 4,486,803 people
• City population: 27,333
• Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
• Population (ZIP): 27,333
• Household income: $189,909
• Rent vs Own: 12.1% rent · 87.9% own
• Severe rent burden: 317.0

Population outlook (Cook County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 5,347,519 people
• By 2030: 5,357,703 · +0.2%
• By 2040: 5,324,924 · -0.4%
• By 2050: 5,230,762 · -2.2%
• By 2075: 4,785,735 · -10.5%
• By 2100: 4,188,836 · -21.7%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (78%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 78% Asian 12% Two or more races 5% Hispanic / Latino 5%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 2%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 7% Scotch-Irish 4% Italian 3%
• Foreign-born: 16% · China, Canada, South Korea
• Languages at home: 80% English-only · Chinese 5% Russian/Polish/Slavic 3% Other Indo-European 3%

Political lean MEDSL · Cook

• 2024 margin: Solid D (+42.0) · D 70.4% · R 28.4% · Other 1.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -11.4pp toward R · 2008: 53.4pp · 2024: 42.0pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+42.0 2020: D+50.3 2016: D+53.0 2012: D+49.4 2008: D+53.4

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -420.87%
• Current HPI: 188.5259
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.59%
• F500 in state: 60

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Insurance	4	$201B
▸Consumer Goods	4	$87B
▸Industrial Machinery	3	$64B
▸Healthcare	2	$55B
▸Retail / Pharmacy	1	$148B
▸Agriculture / Food	1	$86B