504 N Main St · Fairfield, IA 52556

$72,500

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,491 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 176 Days on market

Built 1900 8,712 sqft lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the B 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 +30.0/30.0
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +5.3/10.0
• Livability +4.0/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Check out this charming home located in the center of Fairfield! Located right beside Everybody's Whole Foods. This home offers 3-bedrooms, 1-bathroom with a full basement and newer metal roof. It has abundant character with original woodwork, doors and hardwood floors. Come check out this home today!

Key facts

• Full basement
• Center of fairfield
• Newer metal roof

Tags

• FULL BASEMENT
• NEWER METAL ROOF
• ORIGINAL WOODWORK
• HARDWOOD FLOORS
• CENTER OF FAIRFIELD
• BESIDE EVERYBODY'S WHOLE FOODS

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: On-street parking; Gravel parking
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-family residence; One and one-half stories
• Construction: Wood siding construction
• Exterior features: Gravel and on-street parking

Interior

• Bathrooms: One full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating; Window air conditioning units
• Interior features: Basement present; One full bathroom

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $72k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $515 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $72k).
• Recommended offer: $64k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Cap rate 14.8% vs local median 2.9% in Fairfield — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 79/100 on livability (#122 in IA, #2,265 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, employment F.
• Fairfield Community School District (town): math 56% / reading 69% proficiency, ranked #227 of 289 in IA (top 78%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Fairfield Middle School (math 63% / reading 70%, grade A-, #148 of 246 statewide, top 61%, 438 students, 51% FRL); Fairfield High School (math 50% / reading 73%, grade B-, #255 of 336 statewide, top 76%, 476 students, 42% FRL).
• Market conditions: 121 active listings in the ZIP; 14 units permitted in Jefferson County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $501 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Jefferson County population projected at +27% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $20k cash investment doubles in ~4 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 176 days — a 12% lower offer ($64k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• 2 sale attempts since 9y 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.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $63,800 (12.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 176 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% 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: 1.79% ✓
• Cap rate: 14.82%
• Cash-on-cash: 30.46%
• DSCR: 2.36
• GRM: 4.6

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $147,609
• Comps found: 12

Show comp detail 12 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
504 N Main St	0.00mi	3/1.0	1,491 (0%)	0mo	$60,000	$40	96
302 W Stone Ave	0.17mi	3/2.0	1,423 (-5%)	7mo	$170,000	$119	79
303 & 305 W Kirkwood Ave	0.15mi	3/2.0	1,632 (+10%)	2mo	$129,000	$79	76
103 W Washington Ave	0.47mi	3/2.5	1,474 (-1%)	7mo	$182,500	$124	69
304 E Kirkwood Ave Ave	0.25mi	3/2.0	1,308 (-12%)	0mo	$105,000	$80	67
407 E Lowe Ave	0.34mi	3/2.0	1,648 (+10%)	1mo	$163,000	$99	66
501 E Burlington Ave	0.54mi	2/1.5 (-1)	1,399 (-6%)	1mo	$183,750	$131	57
304 W Adams Ave	0.58mi	3/2.0	1,388 (-7%)	6mo	$141,500	$102	56
509 E Adams Ave	0.67mi	4/1.0 (+1)	1,517 (+2%)	2mo	$118,000	$78	55
201 W Washington Ave	0.47mi	2/1.5 (-1)	1,664 (+12%)	1mo	$48,000	$29	51
901 W Stone Ave	0.57mi	4/1.0 (+1)	1,588 (+6%)	8mo	$28,000	$18	46
102 E Madison Ave	0.68mi	2/1.5 (-1)	1,670 (+12%)	6mo	$189,900	$114	36

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: 25.2%
• Equity multiple: 2.04×
• Total profit: $21,094
• Equity at exit: $10,810

10-year hold

• IRR: 32.9%
• Equity multiple: 3.99×
• Total profit: $60,730
• Equity at exit: $6,268

Cash invested: $20,300 (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 52556

• Home prices YoY: -15.1%
• Active inventory: 121
• Price-to-rent: 4.6×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,299 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$380
• Tax from tax record: −$101 /mo · $1,210/yr
• Insurance: −$30
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$273
• Net cashflow: $515

Break-even live

Break-even rent $647

Max offer price $72,500

Occupancy floor 55%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $556	-5% $536	+0% $515	+5% $495	+10% $474
Rent	-10% $413	-5% $464	+0% $515	+5% $567	+10% $618
Rate	-1.0pp $552	-0.5pp $534	base $515	+0.5pp $496	+1.0pp $477

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: $18,125
• Closing costs: $2,175
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 9 events

1. 2026-06-07
   statusdays on market $72,500 Pending 176 DOM
2. 2026-06-04
   days on market $72,500 Active Under Contract 174 DOM
3. 2026-06-02
   days on market $72,500 Active Under Contract 173 DOM
4. 2026-06-01
   days on market $72,500 Active Under Contract 172 DOM
5. 2026-05-31
   days on market $72,500 Active Under Contract 171 DOM
6. 2026-05-31
   days on market $72,500 Active Under Contract 170 DOM
7. 2026-04-15
   historical Active Under Contract
8. 2025-12-10
   listed $72,500 Active
9. 2017-05-02
   listed $61,900

ⓘ 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: $1,210 · $101/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,210 · $101/mo
• Expected delta: $0/yr ($0/mo · 0.0%)

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

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥107°F today · 15 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $15,592
• − Mortgage interest: −$4,061
• − Property taxes: −$1,210
• − Insurance: −$362
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,247
• − Management: −$1,247
• − Depreciation: −$2,109
• Taxable income: $5,355
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,285
• After-tax cash flow: $4,898/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: Fairfield Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1911340
• Math proficiency: 56% ▼ -14.00%
• Reading proficiency: 69% ▲ 3.00%
• Median HH income: $43,980
• Composite: 52.52/100
• National rank: #1563
• State rank: #227 of 289 in IA

Livability — Fairfield

• Score: 79/100
• State rank: #122
• US rank: #2265

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Fairfield, IA
• City population: 615
• Population (ZIP): 11,586

Population outlook (Jefferson County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 20,818 people
• By 2030: 22,098 · +6.1%
• By 2040: 24,133 · +15.9%
• By 2050: 26,448 · +27.0%
• By 2075: 32,435 · +55.8%
• By 2100: 33,966 · +63.2%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (81%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 81% Black 7% Hispanic / Latino 5% Asian 5% Two or more races 3% Native American 1%
• Common ancestry: Italian 6% Slovak 4% Portuguese 3%
• Foreign-born: 12% · Vietnam, Canada, China
• Languages at home: 88% English-only · Other Indo-European 3% Spanish 2% Vietnamese 2%

Political lean MEDSL · Jefferson

• 2024 margin: Lean R (+6.8) · D 45.5% · R 52.3% · Other 2.1%
• 2008→2024 swing: -27.0pp toward R · 2008: 20.2pp · 2024: -6.8pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+6.8 2020: R+1.4 2016: R+0.5 2012: D+16.0 2008: D+20.2

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -36.76%
• Current HPI: 206.8679
• 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

+17.1% since first listed

3 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-15 Contingent — IAR
• 2025-12-10 Listed $72,500 IAR
• 2017-05-02 Listed $61,900 IAR

Property tax history

-0.7%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,210 · +5.2% YoY. Source: county tax records.