3629 Hawthorne St

Village of Clarkston, MI 48348

$19,900D+

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,456 sqft · Built 1986 · SingleFamily · Pending · 28 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,930/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$104
• Tax + insurance: −$33
• HOA: −$895
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$405
• Net cashflow: $492/mo
• Annual: $5,908/yr
• Cap rate: 35.98%
• Cash-on-cash: 106.03%
• DSCR: 5.72
• 1% rule: 9.70%
• Cash to close: $5,572

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $20k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $492 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $20k).
• It's been on market 28 days — a 2% lower offer ($20k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $20k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $138 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $597 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 79/100 on livability (#98 in MI, #2,255 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Brandon School District In The Counties Of Oakland And Lapee (town): math 35% / reading 48% proficiency, ranked #152 of 540 in MI (top 28%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Oakwood Elementary School (math 42% / reading 52%, grade D-, #433 of 1,397 statewide, top 34%, 442 students, 48% FRL); Brandon Middle School (math 33% / reading 48%, grade F, #202 of 493 statewide, top 42%, 411 students, 46% FRL); Brandon High School (math 42% / reading 52%, grade D-, #187 of 713 statewide, top 29%, 733 students, 37% FRL).
• Watch-outs: HOA is 46% of rent.
• Market conditions: 153 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals leasing fast (median 0d on market — plan ~1-2 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); high-income renter base; 2,614 units permitted in Oakland County in 2024 (721 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Oakland County population projected at +10% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• 2 sale attempts with the ask held roughly flat each time — persistent listings suggest the price (not the market) is what's stuck; bring a comps-based counter.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $6k cash investment doubles in ~2 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 36.0% vs local median 3.3% in Village of Clarkston — 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.
• This rent is only 18% of the median local income ($129k/yr) — well below the 30% rent-burden line; pricing power to push rent on renewal without tenant pushback.

Questions for listing agent

• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• 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?
• 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.
• 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.