2901-2921 Columbia St

San Diego, CA 92103

$3,695,000D+

None bd · None ba · 7,800 sqft · Built — · MultiFamily · Active · 107 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $33,224/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$19,377
• Tax + insurance: −$6,158
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$6,977
• Net cashflow: $712/mo
• Annual: $8,540/yr
• Cap rate: 6.52%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.83%
• DSCR: 1.04
• 1% rule: 0.90%
• Cash to close: $1,034,600

Investor read

• This is a 11 × 2-bed/?-bath units multifamily listed at $3.69M. Condition is rated good.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $712 ($9k/yr) — positive. Per door: $65/mo.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $3.32M (10.1% below list).
• It's been on market 107 days — a 9% lower offer ($3.36M) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $3.32M (10.1% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $26k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $111k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 75/100 on livability (#123 in CA, #4,206 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: amenities A+, commute A+, employment A+; Watch: health & safety C-, crime D+, cost of living F.
• San Diego Unified (urban): math 19% / reading 29% proficiency, ranked #393 of 517 in CA (top 76%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Grant K-8 (reading 24%, 721 students, 32% FRL); Roosevelt International Middle (math 24% / reading 24%, grade F, #277 of 498 statewide, top 73%, 761 students, 59% FRL); San Diego High (2,105 students, 62% FRL) — zoned schools at 51% FRL track the district average.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+1.2%/yr); 295 active listings in the ZIP; 40 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 49d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 60% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; solid renter incomes; 11,759 units permitted in San Diego County in 2024 (7,244 in 5+ unit buildings).
• San Diego County population projected at +20% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• Cap rate 6.5% vs local median 2.0% in San Diego — 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.
• This rent per unit runs 35% of the median local income ($103k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 107 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 10% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Can we see the unit-by-unit rent roll, current vacancy, and any below-market leases? What's the average tenancy length?
• What capital expenditures (roof, boiler, parking lot, exteriors) have been made in the last 5 years, and what's planned in the next 2?
• 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 B-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?
• Crime grade is D 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?