708 Main St · Bennington, VT 05201

$10,000

6 bd · 3.0 ba · 3,618 sqft · Other · 38 Days on market

Built 1905

---

Why this score? — see what drove the D+ 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 +15.0/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• 1% rule +5.0/10.0
• DSCR +5.0/10.0
• Schools +5.0/10.0
• Livability +3.2/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Attention investors! This beautiful three story mixed use property sits on a busy 3-way stop at the corner of Main and Safford Street in historic downtown Bennington Vermont. Built in 1905 with 3,600 sq feet of living space. There is a three bedroom one bath on both the 2nd and 3rd floors. The first floor is retail but could be changed to residential if desired. Original tin ceilings are still in tact. There are five off street parking spots are on the lot. There was a fire on the 3rd floor back porch that spread to half the apartment. Needs to be gutted due to water and fire damage. Accepting offers until May 29th. Text or call 802-375-3318

Key facts

• Mixed use property
• Historic downtown
• Built 1905

Tags

• MIXED USE PROPERTY
• HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
• ORIGINAL TIN CEILINGS
• OFF STREET PARKING SPOTS

Property features AI

Exterior

• Home design: Built in 1905
• Construction: Living area approximately 3,618
• Exterior features: Located in the Bennington subdivision

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 6-bed/3.0-bath other listed at $10k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $1k ($15k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $10k).
• Recommended offer: $10k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Cap rate 219.6% vs local median 5.4% in Bennington — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 64/100 on livability (#63 in VT) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: housing A+, health & safety A+, cost of living A; Watch: employment C-, crime D, schools F.
• Market conditions: 65 active listings in the ZIP; 59 units permitted in Bennington County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• At $2,338/mo this rent would consume 47% of the median local household income ($60k/yr) (locally 982% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $69 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $300 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Bennington County population projected at -23% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $3k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 38 days — a 3% lower offer ($10k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: flood insurance adds $496/mo; built in 1905 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: in FEMA flood zone AE (mandatory federal flood insurance) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $9,700 (3.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 38 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
2. Built in 1905 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. What's the actual annual flood-insurance premium (NFIP or private), and is the property in a SFHA with mandatory coverage?
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. 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?
7. 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?
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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: 23.38% ✓
• Cap rate: 219.63%
• Cash-on-cash: 761.93%
• DSCR: 34.90
• GRM: 0.4

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: —
• Equity multiple: 29.70×
• Total profit: $80,373
• Equity at exit: $1,491

10-year hold

• IRR: —
• Equity multiple: 64.04×
• Total profit: $176,511
• Equity at exit: $865

Cash invested: $2,800 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 41 Moderately Tenant-Leaning
• State Vermont: 41 Moderately Tenant-Leaning · D+15
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Just-cause in Burlington (2022); strong habitability.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 05201

• Home prices YoY: -19.3%
• Active inventory: 65
• Price-to-rent: 0.4×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $2,338 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$52
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$12 /mo · $150/yr
• Insurance: −$4
• Flood insurance flood zone: −$496 /mo · $5,950/yr
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$491
• Net cashflow: $1,282

Break-even live

Break-even rent $715

Max offer price $10,000

Occupancy floor 40%

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: $2,500
• Closing costs: $300
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 17 events

1. 2026-06-19
   days on market $10,000 Active 38 DOM
2. 2026-06-18
   days on market $10,000 Active 37 DOM
3. 2026-06-17
   days on market $10,000 Active 36 DOM
4. 2026-06-16
   days on market $10,000 Active 35 DOM
5. 2026-06-15
   days on market $10,000 Active 34 DOM
6. 2026-06-14
   days on market $10,000 Active 32 DOM
7. 2026-06-12
   days on market $10,000 Active 31 DOM
8. 2026-06-09
   days on market $10,000 Active 28 DOM
9. 2026-06-08
   days on market $10,000 Active 27 DOM
10. 2026-06-07
    days on market $10,000 Active 26 DOM
11. 2026-06-07
    days on market $10,000 Active 25 DOM
12. 2026-06-04
    days on market $10,000 Active 22 DOM
13. 2026-06-02
    days on market $10,000 Active 21 DOM
14. 2026-06-01
    days on market $10,000 Active 20 DOM
15. 2026-05-31
    days on market $10,000 Active 19 DOM
16. 2026-05-31
    days on market $10,000 Active 18 DOM
17. 2026-05-12
    listed $10,000 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 9/10 Extreme FEMA zone AE · 26% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 1 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $28,055
• − Mortgage interest: −$560
• − Property taxes: −$150
• − Insurance: −$6,000
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$2,244
• − Management: −$2,244
• − Depreciation: −$291
• Taxable income: $16,565
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$3,976
• After-tax cash flow: $11,409/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)

No district data.

Livability — Bennington

• Score: 64/100
• State rank: #63
• US rank: #14446

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Bennington, VT
• County: Bennington County · 14,998 people
• City population: 14,998
• Metro: Bennington, VT
• Population (ZIP): 14,998
• Household income: $59,798
• Rent vs Own: 39.1% rent · 60.9% own
• Severe rent burden: 982.0

Population outlook (Bennington County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 34,407 people
• By 2030: 32,975 · -4.2%
• By 2040: 29,711 · -13.6%
• By 2050: 26,638 · -22.6%
• By 2075: 21,318 · -38.0%
• By 2100: 16,086 · -53.2%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (92%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 92% Two or more races 4% Hispanic / Latino 3%
• Common ancestry: Lithuanian 10% Slovak 7% Romanian 3%
• Foreign-born: 2% · Canada
• Languages at home: 96% English-only · Spanish 2% Other Indo-European 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Bennington

• 2024 margin: Strong D (+22.5) · D 60.0% · R 37.5% · Other 2.6%
• 2008→2024 swing: -10.9pp toward R · 2008: 33.4pp · 2024: 22.5pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+22.5 2020: D+27.3 2016: D+22.1 2012: D+33.3 2008: D+33.4

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -60.78%
• Current HPI: 254.5149
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Bennington, VT
• State GDP YoY: —
• F500 in state: 0

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 2026-05-12 Listed $10,000 FSBO.com