550 Mill St

Chillicothe, OH 45601

$187,900D

4 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,237 sqft · Built 1940 · SingleFamily · Active · 222 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,410/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$985
• Tax + insurance: −$183
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$296
• Net cashflow: $-55/mo
• Annual: $-657/yr
• Cap rate: 5.94%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.25%
• DSCR: 0.94
• 1% rule: 0.75%
• Cash to close: $52,612

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $188k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-55 ($-657/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $178k (5.1% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $141k (25.0% below list).
• It's been on market 222 days — a 12% lower offer ($165k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $141k (25.0% 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 $6k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 62/100 on livability (#909 in OH) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment D, crime D-, amenities F.
• Chillicothe City (town): math 36% / reading 47% proficiency, ranked #535 of 656 in OH (top 82%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Chillicothe Middle School (math 29% / reading 43%, grade F, #541 of 654 statewide, top 83%, 395 students, 0% FRL); Chillicothe High School (math 32% / reading 57%, grade F, #470 of 781 statewide, top 62%, 885 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 57% district-wide (57 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1940 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 180 active listings in the ZIP; 24 units permitted in Ross County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Ross County population projected at -12% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 3 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.
• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 5.9% vs local median 4.4% in Chillicothe — 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

• What do current leases actually rent for vs. the listed asking? Can we see a recent rent roll and the last 12 months of T-12 income?
• It's been on market 222 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 25% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1940 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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 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 D 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?