423 3rd St

Luzerne, PA 15413

$13,000D+

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,312 sqft · Built 1920 · SingleFamily · Active · 158 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,072/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$68
• Tax + insurance: −$56
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$225
• Net cashflow: $722/mo
• Annual: $8,668/yr
• Cap rate: 72.97%
• Cash-on-cash: 238.14%
• DSCR: 11.60
• 1% rule: 8.25%
• Cash to close: $3,640

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $13k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $722 ($9k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $13k).
• It's been on market 158 days — a 12% lower offer ($11k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $11k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $90 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $390 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 76/100 on livability (#391 in PA, #3,538 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities C-, commute F, employment F.
• Brownsville Area SD (rural): math 17% / reading 34% proficiency, ranked #472 of 539 in PA (top 88%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Brownsville Area El Sch (math 16% / reading 37%, grade F, #1,169 of 1,518 statewide, top 77%, 700 students, 100% FRL); Brownsville Area Ms (math 7% / reading 32%, grade F, #444 of 512 statewide, top 87%, 352 students, 100% FRL); Brownsville Area Hs (math 64% / reading 24%, grade F, #196 of 437 statewide, top 47%, 434 students, 77% FRL) — zoned schools average 92% FRL vs 59% district-wide (33 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: property tax is 4.7% of price; built in 1920 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 3 active listings in the ZIP; 201 units permitted in Fayette County in 2024 (10 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Fayette County population projected at -19% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $4k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 73.0% vs local median 6.1% in Luzerne — 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 158 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1920 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
• 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?
• 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?
• 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.