220 SE 4th Ave · Cresco, IA 52136

$69,000

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 616 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 1 Days on market

Built 1897 5,625 sqft lot Est $103k · 33% under

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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 +28.2/30.0
• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• 1% rule +6.9/10.0
• Schools +5.6/10.0
• Livability +4.2/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Own cheaper than renting or add to your investment portfolio. This home conveniently has the kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms, bathroom and laundry all on the main floor. The home has updated windows, furnace and flooring. A one car detached garage has electricity and door opener. The spacious lot offers a place to relax, entertain or garden. All appliances are included!!

Key facts

• Updated windows
• Spacious lot
• Appliances included

Tags

• UPDATED WINDOWS
• DETACHED GARAGE
• SPACIOUS LOT
• APPLIANCES INCLUDED

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Zoned R-2

Exterior

• Parking: Detached carport; 1 carport space
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-family residence; One story
• Construction: Basement present (block and concrete)
• Exterior features: Gravel road access; Slate, shingle and asphalt roofing

Interior

• Other: Basement with block and concrete construction
• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating; Natural gas heating; No central cooling
• Interior features: No fireplace

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $69k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $218 ($3k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($819 rent vs $69k).

Location & tenants

• Location reads 83/100 on livability (#30 in IA, #877 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities D-, commute F.
• Howard-Winneshiek Community School District (town): math 62% / reading 70% proficiency, ranked #189 of 289 in IA (top 65%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Cresco Early Childhood Development Center (56 students, 46% FRL).
• Market conditions: 26 active listings in the ZIP; 8 units permitted in Howard County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $477 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Howard County population projected at -18% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $19k cash investment doubles in ~9 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 1 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Current owner paid $10k; list at $69k implies a 590% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1897 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $69,000

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1897 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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: 1.19% ✓
• Cap rate: 10.09%
• Cash-on-cash: 13.57%
• DSCR: 1.60
• GRM: 7.0

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $102,872
• Comps found: 2

Show comp detail 2 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
403 3rd St St SE	0.06mi	2/1.0	660 (+7%)	1mo	$110,000	$167	84
607 SW 2nd St	0.28mi	2/1.0	660 (+7%)	14mo	$55,000	$83	64

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: 3.6%
• Equity multiple: 1.14×
• Total profit: $2,716
• Equity at exit: $10,288

10-year hold

• IRR: 13.1%
• Equity multiple: 2.05×
• Total profit: $20,213
• Equity at exit: $5,966

Cash invested: $19,320 (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 52136

• Home prices YoY: -9.4%
• Active inventory: 26
• Price-to-rent: 7.0×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $819 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$362
• Tax from tax record: −$38 /mo · $460/yr
• Insurance: −$29
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$172
• Net cashflow: $218

Break-even live

Break-even rent $543

Max offer price $69,000

Occupancy floor 68%

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: $17,250
• Closing costs: $2,070
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 4 events

1. 2026-05-18
   status Pending
2. 2026-05-16
   listed $69,000 Active
3. 2024-01-04
   soldstatus $10,000
4. 1988-09-30
   soldstatus $6,000

ⓘ 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: $460 · $38/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $772 · $64/mo
• Expected delta: +$312/yr (+$26/mo · 67.8%)

ⓘ 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 4/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 1/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥98°F today · 15 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $9,834
• − Mortgage interest: −$3,865
• − Property taxes: −$460
• − Insurance: −$345
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$787
• − Management: −$787
• − Depreciation: −$2,007
• Taxable income: $1,583
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$380
• After-tax cash flow: $2,242/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: Howard-Winneshiek Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1914280
• Math proficiency: 62% ▼ -11.00%
• Reading proficiency: 70% ▲ 2.00%
• Median HH income: $46,388
• Composite: 55.68/100
• National rank: #1223
• State rank: #189 of 289 in IA

Livability — Cresco

• Score: 83/100
• State rank: #30
• US rank: #877

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Cresco, IA
• City population: 5,763
• Population (ZIP): 5,763

Population outlook (Howard County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 8,964 people
• By 2030: 8,668 · -3.3%
• By 2040: 8,056 · -10.1%
• By 2050: 7,388 · -17.6%
• By 2075: 6,121 · -31.7%
• By 2100: 4,792 · -46.5%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (94%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 94% Hispanic / Latino 3% Two or more races 3%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 17% Romanian 3% Lithuanian 2%
• Foreign-born: 0%
• Languages at home: 95% English-only · German/W. Germanic 3% Spanish 2%

Political lean MEDSL · Howard

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+31.8) · D 33.5% · R 65.3% · Other 1.3%
• 2008→2024 swing: -57.6pp toward R · 2008: 25.8pp · 2024: -31.8pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+31.8 2020: R+27.3 2016: R+20.8 2012: D+21.1 2008: D+25.8

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -22.56%
• Current HPI: 217.8492
• 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

+1050.0% since first listed

4 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-18 Pending — NEIRBR as distributed by MLS GRID
• 2026-05-16 Listed $69,000 NEIRBR as distributed by MLS GRID
• 2024-01-04 Sold (Public Records) $10,000 Public Records
• 1988-09-30 Sold (Public Records) $6,000 Public Records

Property tax history

+5.6%/yr

Latest (2025): $460 · +0.9% YoY. Source: county tax records.