170 Amherst St

Hartford, CT 06106

$299,900D-

2 bd · 2.5 ba · 912 sqft · Built 1951 · SingleFamily · Under Contract · 7 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,762/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,573
• Tax + insurance: −$543
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$370
• Net cashflow: $-724/mo
• Annual: $-8,687/yr
• Cap rate: 3.40%
• Cash-on-cash: -10.34%
• DSCR: 0.54
• 1% rule: 0.59%
• Cash to close: $83,972

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/2.5-bath single-family listed at $300k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-724 ($-9k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $172k (42.6% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $176k (41.2% below list).
• Only 7 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $172k (42.6% below list) — sets the bar for cash-flow.
• In year one you build about $6k of equity ($2k loan paydown + $4k appreciation (1.4% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 76/100 on livability (#58 in CT, #3,553 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: amenities A+, commute A+, health & safety A+; Watch: crime F, employment F.
• Hartford School District (urban): math 13% / reading 21% proficiency, ranked #150 of 153 in CT (top 98%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 84% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Kennelly School (math 7% / reading 12%, grade F, #522 of 553 statewide, top 95%, 598 students, 85% FRL); Mcdonough Middle School (math 0% / reading 6%, grade F, #175 of 175 statewide, top 100%, 317 students, 83% FRL) — zoned schools at 84% FRL track the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1951 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+2.4%/yr); 62 active listings in the ZIP; 8 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 18d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 1,867 units permitted in Capitol Planning Region in 2024 (1,399 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 4 sale attempts since 26y 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 $200k; list at $300k implies a 50% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• By year 6, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$34k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 27% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→16/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• At $1,762/mo this rent would consume 46% of the median local household income ($46k/yr) (locally 3400% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

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?
• Built in 1951 — 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 D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
• 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?
• 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.