325 Rockwell Ave

Blue Hills, CT 06002

$385,000D-

4 bd · 3.5 ba · 2,016 sqft · Built 1961 · SingleFamily · Under Contract · 5 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,861/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$2,019
• Tax + insurance: −$902
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$811
• Net cashflow: $129/mo
• Annual: $1,551/yr
• Cap rate: 6.70%
• Cash-on-cash: 1.44%
• DSCR: 1.06
• 1% rule: 1.00%
• Cash to close: $107,800

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/3.5-bath single-family listed at $385k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $129 ($2k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($4k rent vs $385k).
• Only 5 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $3k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $12k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 81/100 on livability (#14 in CT, #1,343 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, commute A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F.
• Bloomfield School District (suburban): math 16% / reading 30% proficiency, ranked #137 of 153 in CT (top 90%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Laurel School (307 students, 67% FRL); Carmen Arace Middle School (math 19% / reading 30%, grade F, #153 of 175 statewide, top 88%, 246 students, 61% FRL); Bloomfield High School (math 17% / reading 47%, grade F, #129 of 194 statewide, top 69%, 525 students, 58% FRL) — zoned schools average 62% FRL vs 44% district-wide (17 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+3.1%/yr); 67 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals leasing fast (median 14d on market — plan ~1-2 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 1,867 units permitted in Capitol Planning Region in 2024 (1,399 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 2 sale attempts since 10y ago 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.
• Current owner paid $138k; list at $385k implies a 179% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 6.7% vs local median 4.7% in Blue Hills — 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.
• At $3,861/mo this rent would consume 47% of the median local household income ($98k/yr) (locally 692% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1961 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• 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?
• 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.