702 3rd Ave

Mountain Lake, MN 56159

$89,000C+

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 854 sqft · Built 1912 · SingleFamily · Active · 22 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,003/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$467
• Tax + insurance: −$130
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$211
• Net cashflow: $196/mo
• Annual: $2,355/yr
• Cap rate: 8.94%
• Cash-on-cash: 9.45%
• DSCR: 1.42
• 1% rule: 1.13%
• Cash to close: $24,920

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $89k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $196 ($2k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $89k).
• It's been on market 22 days — a 2% lower offer ($88k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $88k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• In year one you build about $737 of equity ($615 loan paydown + $122 appreciation (0.1% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 74/100 on livability (#226 in MN, #4,819 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, employment F.
• Mountain Lake Public Schools (rural): math 46% / reading 46% proficiency, ranked #172 of 301 in MN (top 57%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Watch-outs: built in 1912 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 19 active listings in the ZIP; 29 units permitted in Cottonwood County in 2024 (15 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Cottonwood County population projected to shrink 9% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• Current owner paid $13k; list at $89k implies a 601% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• At projected returns (0.1% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $25k cash investment doubles in ~7 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1912 — 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?
• 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.