Crane (2 BR) Plan

Huntsville, AL 35763

$98,332F

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 819 sqft · Built — · SingleFamily · Active · 730 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,426/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,093
• Tax + insurance: −$347
• HOA: −$450
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$299
• Net cashflow: $-763/mo
• Annual: $-9,162/yr
• Cap rate: 1.90%
• Cash-on-cash: -15.70%
• DSCR: 0.30
• 1% rule: 0.68%
• Cash to close: $58,337

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $98k. Condition is rated excellent.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-763 ($-9k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $98k (0.5% below list).
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $98k).
• It's been on market 730 days — a 12% lower offer ($87k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $87k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• 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 82/100 on livability (#3 in AL, #1,082 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: commute A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: crime F.
• Madison County (rural): math 27% / reading 56% proficiency, ranked #19 of 129 in AL (top 15%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Watch-outs: property tax is 3.2% of price; HOA is 32% of rent.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+3.5%/yr); 366 active listings in the ZIP; high-income renter base; 4,709 units permitted in Madison County in 2024 (1,186 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Madison County population projected at +18% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• Cap rate 1.9% vs local median 3.8% in Huntsville — below-typical yield; the buyer is paying a premium for something (appreciation thesis, condition, location) that the cap rate doesn't capture.
• This rent is only 14% of the median local income ($123k/yr) — well below the 30% rent-burden line; pricing power to push rent on renewal without tenant pushback.

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 730 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• 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.
• Crime grade is F 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?