1412 Walnut Dr

Morgan City, LA 70380

$145,000D+

3 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,632 sqft · Built 1968 · SingleFamily · Pending · 5 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,340/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$760
• Tax + insurance: −$235
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$281
• Net cashflow: $63/mo
• Annual: $753/yr
• Cap rate: 7.36%
• Cash-on-cash: 3.82%
• DSCR: 1.17
• 1% rule: 0.92%
• Cash to close: $40,600

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.5-bath single-family listed at $145k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $63 ($753/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $134k (7.6% below list).
• Only 5 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $134k (7.6% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 67/100 on livability (#111 in LA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, health & safety A+, housing A-; Watch: crime F, amenities F, commute F.
• St. Mary Parish (town): math 28% / reading 39% proficiency, ranked #37 of 98 in LA (top 38%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases; 68% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Wyandotte Elementary School (math 37% / reading 47%, grade F, #201 of 646 statewide, top 33%, 346 students, 68% FRL); Morgan City Junior High School (math 22% / reading 34%, grade F, #125 of 218 statewide, top 58%, 488 students, 56% FRL); Morgan City High School (math 27% / reading 42%, grade F, #106 of 265 statewide, top 43%, 732 students, 55% FRL).
• Watch-outs: flood insurance adds $66/mo.
• Market conditions: 83 active listings in the ZIP; 37 units permitted in St. Mary Parish in 2024 (20 in 5+ unit buildings).
• St. Mary County population projected at -18% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Climate carrying-cost: major flood risk; severe wind risk, 99% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→23/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 7.4% vs local median 4.6% in Morgan City — 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

• Built in 1968 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• What's the actual annual flood-insurance premium (NFIP or private), and is the property in a SFHA with mandatory coverage?
• 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?
• Crime grade is F in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
• 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.
• 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.