301 4th Ave W · Columbus, ND 58727

$55,000

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,512 sqft · SingleFamily · 493 Days on market

Built 1920 0.68 ac lot ↓ 15% since listing

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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
• Appreciation +5.0/10.0
• Schools +3.7/10.0
• Livability +2.8/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0

Key facts

• 3 lots
• Newer shingled roof
• Landscaped yard

Tags

• 3 LOTS
• LANDSCAPED YARD
• TREE-FILLED YARD
• MAIN FLOOR LAUNDRY ROOM
• NEWER SHINGLED ROOF
• NEWER WATER HEATER

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Property type: Residential single-family

Exterior

• Parking: On-site parking; On-street parking; Driveway; no garage
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer (connected); Propane for heating; Electricity connected; Cable available; Phone available; Natural gas not available
• Home design: Single-family residence; Two-story
• Construction: Masonite exterior; Block foundation; Shingle roof; Built area above grade: 1,512
• Exterior features: Corner, landscaped, level, rectangular lot; Gravel road frontage on a public maintained city street

Interior

• Flooring: Hardwood flooring; Linoleum flooring
• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom; 1 three-quarter bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating (propane); No central cooling
• Interior features: Basement with concrete and dirt floors, interior entry, unfinished storage space; Storage area

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $55k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $587 ($7k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $55k).
• Recommended offer: $48k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 56/100 on livability (#316 in ND) — a working-class tenant base; expect higher turnover. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, crime A; Watch: health & safety D, schools F, amenities F.
• Burke Central 36 (rural): math 40% / reading 40% proficiency, ranked #96 of 169 in ND (top 57%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: 3 active listings in the ZIP; 3 units permitted in Burke County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $2k of equity ($380 loan paydown + $2k appreciation (3.0% local appreciation)).
• Burke County population projected at +80% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• At projected returns (3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $15k cash investment doubles in ~2 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 493 days — a 12% lower offer ($48k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• 3 sale attempts since 3y 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 1920 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $48,400 (12.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 493 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 1920 — 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 F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
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: 2.23% ✓
• Cap rate: 19.10%
• Cash-on-cash: 45.75%
• DSCR: 3.04
• GRM: 3.7

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: 51.0%
• Equity multiple: 3.86×
• Total profit: $44,036
• Equity at exit: $24,730

10-year hold

• IRR: 50.7%
• Equity multiple: 7.78×
• Total profit: $104,394
• Equity at exit: $38,112

Cash invested: $15,400 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 82 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State North Dakota: 82 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+20
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day notice; landlord-friendly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 58727

• Active inventory: 3
• Price-to-rent: 3.7×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,224 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$288
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$69 /mo · $825/yr
• Insurance: −$23
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$257
• Net cashflow: $587

Break-even live

Break-even rent $481

Max offer price $55,000

Occupancy floor 47%

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: $13,750
• Closing costs: $1,650
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 20 events

1. 2026-06-18
   days on market $55,000 Active 493 DOM
2. 2026-06-17
   days on market $55,000 Active 492 DOM
3. 2026-06-16
   days on market $55,000 Active 491 DOM
4. 2026-06-15
   days on market $55,000 Active 490 DOM
5. 2026-06-13
   days on market $55,000 Active 488 DOM
6. 2026-06-12
   days on market $55,000 Active 487 DOM
7. 2026-06-09
   days on market $55,000 Active 484 DOM
8. 2026-06-08
   days on market $55,000 Active 483 DOM
9. 2026-06-07
   days on market $55,000 Active 482 DOM
10. 2026-06-05
    days on market $55,000 Active 480 DOM
11. 2026-06-04
    days on market $55,000 Active 478 DOM
12. 2026-06-02
    days on market $55,000 Active 477 DOM
13. 2026-06-01
    days on market $55,000 Active 476 DOM
14. 2026-05-31
    days on market $55,000 Active 475 DOM
15. 2025-02-10
    listed $55,000 Active
16. 2024-09-08
    price $55,000
17. 2024-06-16
    status Active
18. 2024-06-12
    historical Active Under Contract
19. 2024-04-25
    price $57,000
20. 2023-12-02
    listed $65,000 Active

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 4/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 1/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥93°F today · 13 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 1/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 5/10 Major 7 unhealthy d/yr today · 8 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,691
• − Mortgage interest: −$3,081
• − Property taxes: −$825
• − Insurance: −$275
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,175
• − Management: −$1,175
• − Depreciation: −$1,600
• Taxable income: $6,560
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,574
• After-tax cash flow: $5,471/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: Burke Central 36
• NCES district ID: 3803590
• Math proficiency: 40% ▲ 29.00%
• Reading proficiency: 40% ▲ 10.00%
• Median HH income: $54,249
• Composite: 37.33/100
• National rank: #8941
• State rank: #96 of 169 in ND

Livability — Columbus

• Score: 56/100
• State rank: #316
• US rank: #22379

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Columbus, ND
• Population (ZIP): 148

Population outlook (Burke County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 3,017 people
• By 2030: 3,439 · +14.0%
• By 2040: 4,388 · +45.4%
• By 2050: 5,429 · +79.9%
• By 2075: 8,215 · +172.3%
• By 2100: 10,184 · +237.6%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (97%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 97% Two or more races 3%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 24% Slovak 3% Danish 1%
• Foreign-born: 3% · Canada
• Languages at home: 99% English-only · Other Asian/Pacific 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Burke

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+74.1) · D 12.4% · R 86.5% · Other 1.1%
• 2008→2024 swing: -36.6pp toward R · 2008: -37.5pp · 2024: -74.1pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+74.1 2020: R+74.2 2016: R+73.8 2012: R+52.8 2008: R+37.5

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: —
• Current HPI: —
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.09%
• F500 in state: 2

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in ND)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Utilities / Construction	1	$6B

Price history

-15.4% since first listed

6 events — show timeline

• 2025-02-10 Listed $55,000 GNMLS
• 2024-09-08 Price Changed $55,000 GNMLS
• 2024-06-16 Relisted — GNMLS
• 2024-06-12 Contingent — GNMLS
• 2024-04-25 Price Changed $57,000 GNMLS
• 2023-12-02 Listed $65,000 GNMLS