1538-1542 W 3rd St

Davenport, IA 52802

$359,000C-

31 bd · 29.0 ba · 2,240 sqft · Built 1900 · MultiFamily · Active · 11 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,418/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,883
• Tax + insurance: −$330
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$718
• Net cashflow: $487/mo
• Annual: $5,846/yr
• Cap rate: 7.92%
• Cash-on-cash: 5.82%
• DSCR: 1.26
• 1% rule: 0.95%
• Cash to close: $100,520

Investor read

• This is a 3 × 3-bed/1.5-bath units multifamily listed at $359k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $487 ($6k/yr) — positive. Per door: $162/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 $342k (4.8% below list).
• Only 11 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $342k (4.8% 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 $11k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 79/100 on livability (#126 in IA, #2,312 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment C-, crime F.
• Davenport Community School District (urban): math 43% / reading 50% proficiency, ranked #288 of 289 in IA (top 100%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Monroe Elementary School (math 26% / reading 23%, grade F, #613 of 616 statewide, top 100%, 381 students, 68% FRL); Frank L Smart Intermediate (math 27% / reading 30%, grade F, #246 of 246 statewide, top 100%, 313 students, 71% FRL); West High School (math 38% / reading 53%, grade D-, #323 of 336 statewide, top 96%, 1,469 students, 54% FRL).
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 33% at this address vs 46% district-wide (-14 pts) — the specific schools serving this property underperform the Davenport Community School District average; the district grade overstates school quality for this exact location.
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 67 active listings in the ZIP; 805 units permitted in Scott County in 2024 (479 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Scott County population projected at +19% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 2 sale attempts since 8y 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 $164k; list at $359k implies a 119% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 7.9% vs local median 4.4% in Davenport — 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.
• At $3,418/mo this rent would consume 75% of the median local household income ($54k/yr) (locally 244% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• 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?
• Built in 1900 — 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.
• 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?
• 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 apartment / multifamily construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply (>2% of stock underway) typically softens rents 12–24 months out; light construction supports rent growth.