3 bd · 2.5 ba ·
1,827 sqft ·
Built —
· Townhouse
· Active
· 121 DOM
Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)
Estimated rent
$2,558/mo
Mortgage (P&I)
−$1,689
Tax + insurance
−$537
HOA
−$0
Vac / Maint / Mgmt
−$537
Net cashflow
$-205/mo
Annual
$-2,455/yr
Cap rate
5.53%
Cash-on-cash
-2.72%
DSCR
0.88
1% rule
0.79%
Cash to close
$90,157
Investor read
This is a 3-bed/2.5-bath townhouse listed at $315k. Condition is rated excellent.
At list price, monthly cash flow is $-205 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $292k (7.2% below list).
To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $256k (18.8% below list).
It's been on market 121 days — a 12% lower offer ($277k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Recommended offer: $256k (18.8% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $10k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
Location reads 77/100 on livability (#45 in IN, #3,244 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, cost of living A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety D-.
Crown Point Community School Corporation (suburban): math 51% / reading 61% proficiency, ranked #23 of 301 in IN (top 8%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease; only 18% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
Zoned schools: Solon Robinson Elementary School (math 59% / reading 57%, grade C+, #160 of 994 statewide, top 17%, 528 students, 34% FRL); Robert Taft Middle School (math 37% / reading 57%, grade D+, #65 of 330 statewide, top 21%, 1,091 students, 23% FRL); Crown Point High School (math 51% / reading 80%, grade B, #29 of 369 statewide, top 8%, 2,948 students, 22% FRL).
Market conditions: Rents rising (+2.5%/yr); 984 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 44d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 50% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; solid renter incomes; 1,642 units permitted in Lake County in 2024 (14 in 5+ unit buildings).
Lake County population projected to shrink 7% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
Cap rate 5.5% vs local median 3.7% in Crown Point — 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 121 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 19% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
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?
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.
CashFlowRE · CFR-7E8TJ69F1C5B15
· Data 16 h agocashflowre.app · 2026-05-29