625 Thomas St

Tiffin, IA 52340

$327,990D-

3 bd · 3.0 ba · 1,899 sqft · Built 2024 · Other · Pending · 249 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,393/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,720
• Tax + insurance: −$352
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$502
• Net cashflow: $-182/mo
• Annual: $-2,187/yr
• Cap rate: 5.63%
• Cash-on-cash: -2.38%
• DSCR: 0.89
• 1% rule: 0.73%
• Cash to close: $91,837

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/3.0-bath other listed at $328k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-182 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $296k (9.8% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $239k (27.0% below list).
• It's been on market 249 days — a 12% lower offer ($289k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $239k (27.0% 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 75/100 on livability (#220 in IA, #4,085 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, cost of living A+; Watch: health & safety D, amenities F, commute F.
• Clear Creek Amana Community School District (rural): math 73% / reading 75% proficiency, ranked #72 of 289 in IA (top 25%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 17% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Zoned schools: Clear Creek Amana Middle School (math 76% / reading 76%, grade A, #59 of 246 statewide, top 26%, 640 students, 29% FRL); Clear Creek Amana High School (math 71% / reading 85%, grade A-, #53 of 336 statewide, top 16%, 728 students, 23% FRL).
• Market conditions: 216 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 15d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 714 units permitted in Johnson County in 2024 (158 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Johnson County population projected at +60% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 2 sale attempts since 2y 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.
• Cap rate 5.6% vs local median 4.2% in Tiffin — 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 249 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 27% 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 A-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.