lot 7 Wendell St

Dalton, GA 20721

$245,000C-

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,267 sqft · Built — · SingleFamily · Pending · 83 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,660/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,282
• Tax + insurance: −$408
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$559
• Net cashflow: $411/mo
• Annual: $4,935/yr
• Cap rate: 8.31%
• Cash-on-cash: 7.21%
• DSCR: 1.32
• 1% rule: 1.09%
• Cash to close: $68,469

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $245k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $411 ($5k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($3k rent vs $245k).
• It's been on market 83 days — a 6% lower offer ($230k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $230k (6.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $7k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 67/100 on livability (#172 in GA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment D, amenities F, commute F.
• Whitfield County (rural): math 37% / reading 34% proficiency, ranked #62 of 174 in GA (top 36%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases; 61% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Eastside Elementary School (math 28% / reading 22%, grade F, #745 of 1,228 statewide, top 61%, 546 students, 86% FRL); Eastbrook Middle School (math 23% / reading 27%, grade F, #291 of 470 statewide, top 64%, 680 students, 87% FRL); Southeast Whitfield County High School (math 30% / reading 19%, grade F, #184 of 424 statewide, top 48%, 1,492 students, 76% FRL) — zoned schools average 83% FRL vs 61% district-wide (22 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+1.6%/yr); 4 active listings in the ZIP; high-income renter base; 374 units permitted in Whitfield County in 2024 (35 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Whitfield County population projected at +3% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• 2 sale attempts 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 8.3% vs local median 3.4% in Dalton — 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

• It's been on market 83 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 6% 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 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?
• 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.
• 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.