103 Sycamore St · La Porte City, IA 50651

$79,000

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 916 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 70 Days on market

Built 1900 7,200 sqft lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the C+ 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 +24.4/30.0
• DSCR +7.9/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +6.5/10.0
• 1% rule +6.1/10.0
• Livability +4.2/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks MLS

Affordable opportunity in La Porte City! This 2-bedroom, 1-bath home offers 916 sq. ft. of living space on a 7,187 sq. ft. lot. With an attached garage, vinyl exterior, and functional layout, this property has a solid starting point for someone ready to make it their own. Built in 1900, the home will need some updates throughout, but offers great potential for an investor or someone looking for a smaller home with opportunity.

Key facts

• 7,200 sq ft lot
• Parking
• Built 1900

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $79k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $160 ($2k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($877 rent vs $79k).
• Recommended offer: $74k (6.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 84/100 on livability (#26 in IA, #774 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: schools A+, crime A+, cost of living A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Union Community School District (rural): math 77% / reading 75% proficiency, ranked #53 of 289 in IA (top 18%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 20% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Market conditions: 26 active listings in the ZIP; 287 units permitted in Black Hawk County in 2024 (67 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $546 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Black Hawk County population projected at +10% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 70 days — a 6% lower offer ($74k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Current owner paid $30k; list at $79k implies a 163% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: moderate flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $74,260 (6.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 70 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 6% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
2. Built in 1900 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
4. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
5. 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?
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: 1.11% ✓
• Cap rate: 8.72%
• Cash-on-cash: 8.68%
• DSCR: 1.39
• GRM: 7.5

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: -3.1%
• Equity multiple: 0.88×
• Total profit: $-2,608
• Equity at exit: $11,779

10-year hold

• IRR: 6.6%
• Equity multiple: 1.49×
• Total profit: $10,870
• Equity at exit: $6,830

Cash invested: $22,120 (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 50651

• Home prices YoY: -26.5%
• Active inventory: 26
• Price-to-rent: 7.5×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $877 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$414
• Tax from tax record: −$86 /mo · $1,030/yr
• Insurance: −$33
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$184
• Net cashflow: $160

Break-even live

Break-even rent $675

Max offer price $79,000

Occupancy floor 77%

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: $19,750
• Closing costs: $2,370
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 17 events

1. 2026-06-19
   days on market $79,000 Active 70 DOM
2. 2026-06-18
   days on market $79,000 Active 69 DOM
3. 2026-06-17
   days on market $79,000 Active 68 DOM
4. 2026-06-16
   days on market $79,000 Active 67 DOM
5. 2026-06-15
   days on market $79,000 Active 66 DOM
6. 2026-06-14
   days on market $79,000 Active 64 DOM
7. 2026-06-13
   days on market $79,000 Active 63 DOM
8. 2026-06-10
   days on market $79,000 Active 61 DOM
9. 2026-06-09
   days on market $79,000 Active 60 DOM
10. 2026-06-08
    days on market $79,000 Active 59 DOM
11. 2026-06-07
    days on market $79,000 Active 58 DOM
12. 2026-06-02
    days on market $79,000 Active 53 DOM
13. 2026-06-01
    days on market $79,000 Active 52 DOM
14. 2026-05-31
    days on market $79,000 Active 51 DOM
15. 2026-05-30
    days on market $79,000 Active 50 DOM
16. 2026-04-10
    listed $79,000 Active 430-char remark

    Show marketing remark (430 chars)

    Affordable opportunity in La Porte City! This 2-bedroom, 1-bath home offers 916 sq. ft. of living space on a 7,187 sq. ft. lot. With an attached garage, vinyl exterior, and functional layout, this property has a solid starting point for someone ready to make it their own. Built in 1900, the home will need some updates throughout, but offers great potential for an investor or someone looking for a smaller home with opportunity.

17. 2020-03-02
    soldstatus $30,000

ⓘ 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: $1,030 · $86/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,135 · $95/mo
• Expected delta: +$105/yr (+$9/mo · 10.2%)

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

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 5/10 Major FEMA zone X (shaded) · 24% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥102°F today · 15 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: $10,527
• − Mortgage interest: −$4,425
• − Property taxes: −$1,030
• − Insurance: −$395
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$842
• − Management: −$842
• − Depreciation: −$2,298
• Taxable income: $694
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$167
• After-tax cash flow: $1,753/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: Union Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1900022
• Math proficiency: 77% ▼ -3.00%
• Reading proficiency: 75% ▲ 2.00%
• Median HH income: $58,114
• Composite: 65.13/100
• National rank: #496
• State rank: #53 of 289 in IA

Livability — La Porte City

• Score: 84/100
• State rank: #26
• US rank: #774

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: La Porte City, IA
• City population: 3,349
• Population (ZIP): 3,349

Population outlook (Black Hawk County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 139,716 people
• By 2030: 142,853 · +2.2%
• By 2040: 147,843 · +5.8%
• By 2050: 153,247 · +9.7%
• By 2075: 167,977 · +20.2%
• By 2100: 177,320 · +26.9%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (96%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 96% Two or more races 2% Hispanic / Latino 1%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 7% Lithuanian 2% Iranian 2%
• Foreign-born: 1% · Canada, Guatemala
• Languages at home: 98% English-only · Spanish 1% Russian/Polish/Slavic 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Black Hawk

• 2024 margin: Toss-up / Even · D 50.0% · R 48.8% · Other 1.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -21.3pp toward R · 2008: 22.4pp · 2024: 1.2pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+1.2 2020: D+9.0 2016: D+7.3 2012: D+20.0 2008: D+22.4

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -67.76%
• Current HPI: 188.2486
• 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

+163.3% since first listed

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-10 Listed $79,000 NEIRBR as distributed by MLS GRID
• 2020-03-02 Sold (Public Records) $30,000 Public Records

Property tax history

+1.1%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,030 · +3.2% YoY. Source: county tax records.