509 W Attica St · Marathon, IA 50565

$44,500

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,424 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 7 Days on market

Built 1904 0.59 ac lot

---

Why this score? — see what drove the A- 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 +30.0/30.0
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• Appreciation +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +4.8/10.0
• Livability +3.0/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0

Listing remarks

Welcome to 509 W Attica St, Marathon, IA! This well-maintained 3-bedroom, 1-bath home offers comfortable living in a small-town setting. The property features a spacious 2-car garage, providing plenty of room for vehicles, storage, or a workshop. Situated on a nice-sized lot, there is ample outdoor space to enjoy gardening, entertaining, or simply relaxing. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer, looking to downsize, or searching for an investment opportunity, this property offers great potential and small-town charm. Don’t miss your chance to make this home your own!

Key facts

• Spacious garage
• Outdoor space
• 0.59 acre lot

Tags

• SPACIOUS GARAGE
• OUTDOOR SPACE

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: Attached concrete 2-car garage
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-family residence (residential property)
• Construction: Vinyl siding; Built with standard foundation
• Exterior features: Shingle roof; Lot approximately 0.59 acres

Interior

• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Natural gas heating with forced air; Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Partial basement
• Laundry & utility: Laundry on the main level

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $44k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $689 ($8k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $44k).

Location & tenants

• Location reads 60/100 on livability (#817 in IA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: health & safety D, amenities F, commute F.
• Laurens-Marathon Community School District (rural): math 55% / reading 55% proficiency, ranked #311 of 330 in IA (top 94%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Laurens-Marathon Elementary School (math 74% / reading 54%, grade B, #317 of 616 statewide, top 58%, 140 students, 51% FRL) — zoned schools at 51% FRL track the district average.
• Market conditions: 3 active listings in the ZIP; 164 units permitted in Buena Vista County in 2024 (71 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $5k of equity ($308 loan paydown + $4k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Buena Vista County population projected at +12% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• At projected returns (10.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $12k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.
• By year 7, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$34k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• Only 7 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1904 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $44,500

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1904 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. Schools are F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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: 2.70% ✓
• Cap rate: 24.87%
• Cash-on-cash: 66.33%
• DSCR: 3.95
• GRM: 3.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $91,136
• Comps found: 3

Show comp detail 3 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
106 S Sherman St	0.17mi	2/2.0 (-1)	1,409 (-1%)	7mo	$90,000	$64	75
305 W Athens St	0.18mi	2/1.0 (-1)	1,478 (+4%)	22mo	$55,000	$37	62
301 S Neptune St	0.48mi	4/1.0 (+1)	1,302 (-9%)	10mo	$85,000	$65	50

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

Projected returns pro-forma

10.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 77.7%
• Equity multiple: 6.46×
• Total profit: $68,093
• Equity at exit: $40,089

10-year hold

• IRR: 71.8%
• Equity multiple: 14.32×
• Total profit: $166,006
• Equity at exit: $86,454

Cash invested: $12,460 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Iowa: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day pay-or-quit; mostly landlord-friendly statewide.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 50565

• Home prices YoY: 6.3%
• Active inventory: 3
• Price-to-rent: 3.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,203 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$233
• Tax from tax record: −$10 /mo · $116/yr
• Insurance: −$19
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$253
• Net cashflow: $689

Break-even live

Break-even rent $331

Max offer price $44,500

Occupancy floor 38%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $714	-5% $701	+0% $689	+5% $676	+10% $664
Rent	-10% $594	-5% $641	+0% $689	+5% $736	+10% $784
Rate	-1.0pp $711	-0.5pp $700	base $689	+0.5pp $677	+1.0pp $665

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: $11,125
• Closing costs: $1,335
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 7 events

1. 2026-06-21
   statusdays on market $44,500 Pending 7 DOM
2. 2026-06-18
   days on market $44,500 Active 6 DOM
3. 2026-06-17
   days on market $44,500 Active 5 DOM
4. 2026-06-16
   days on market $44,500 Active 4 DOM
5. 2026-06-15
   days on market $44,500 Active 3 DOM
6. 2026-06-13
   remarks 573-char remark
7. 2026-06-13
   listed $44,500 Active 1 DOM

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

Tax reassessment forecast IA · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $116 · $10/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $407 · $34/mo
• Expected delta: +$291/yr (+$24/mo · 251.1%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

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 ≥99°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,435
• − Mortgage interest: −$2,493
• − Property taxes: −$116
• − Insurance: −$222
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,155
• − Management: −$1,155
• − Depreciation: −$1,295
• Taxable income: $8,000
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,920
• After-tax cash flow: $6,345/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.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Laurens-Marathon Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1916420
• Math proficiency: 55% ▼ -10.00%
• Reading proficiency: 55% ▼ -10.00%
• Median HH income: $42,146
• Composite: 48.0/100
• National rank: #4796
• State rank: #311 of 330 in IA

Livability — Marathon

• Score: 60/100
• State rank: #817
• US rank: #18784

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Marathon, IA
• Population (ZIP): 413

Population outlook (Buena Vista County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 20,775 people
• By 2030: 21,101 · +1.6%
• By 2040: 21,955 · +5.7%
• By 2050: 23,202 · +11.7%
• By 2075: 27,159 · +30.7%
• By 2100: 29,578 · +42.4%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (89%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 89% Two or more races 8% Hispanic / Latino 6%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 4%
• Common ancestry: Iranian 11% Scotch-Irish 3% Romanian 1%
• Foreign-born: 4% · Canada
• Languages at home: 97% English-only · Spanish 3%

Political lean MEDSL · Buena Vista

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+33.3) · D 32.8% · R 66.0% · Other 1.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -31.5pp toward R · 2008: -1.8pp · 2024: -33.3pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+33.3 2020: R+25.6 2016: R+25.0 2012: R+10.4 2008: R+1.8

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 11.25%
• Current HPI: 189.9157
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.48%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$16B
▸Retail / Convenience	1	$15B

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 2026-06-12 Listed $44,500 NWIA

Property tax history

-2.1%/yr

Latest (2025): $116 · -46.8% YoY. Source: county tax records.