4401 W Taft St · Ross, IN 46408

$165,000

6 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,625 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 137 Days on market

Built 1930 0.98 ac lot

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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 +19.7/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• DSCR +6.2/10.0
• 1% rule +5.4/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Livability +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +1.3/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks MLS

Investment Opportunity! Brick 4 Unit on almost an acre! Estate sale. Includes TWO Car Garage. . sold as is.

Key facts

• 0.98 acre lot
• 3 garage spots
• Built 1930

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 6-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $165k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $192 ($2k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $165k).
• Recommended offer: $145k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.

Location & tenants

• Location reads: area grade D — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Lake Ridge New Tech Schools (suburban): math 11% / reading 20% proficiency, ranked #287 of 301 in IN (top 95%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 79% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Market conditions: 102 active listings in the ZIP; 1,642 units permitted in Lake County in 2024 (14 in 5+ unit buildings).
• This rent runs 43% of the median local income ($47k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $5k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Lake County population projected to shrink 7% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 137 days — a 12% lower offer ($145k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• 6 sale attempts since 10y 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 $80k; list at $165k implies a 106% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1930 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $145,200 (12.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 137 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
2. Built in 1930 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
4. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
5. 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?
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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: 1.04% ✓
• Cap rate: 7.69%
• Cash-on-cash: 4.99%
• DSCR: 1.22
• GRM: 8.0

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: -8.5%
• Equity multiple: 0.69×
• Total profit: $-14,462
• Equity at exit: $24,602

10-year hold

• IRR: 1.0%
• Equity multiple: 1.07×
• Total profit: $3,324
• Equity at exit: $14,266

Cash invested: $46,200 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Indiana: 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+11
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

10-day pay-or-quit; landlord-favorable; preempted.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 46408

• Home prices YoY: -31.6%
• Active inventory: 102
• Price-to-rent: 8.0×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,716 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$865
• Tax from tax record: −$230 /mo · $2,754/yr
• Insurance: −$69
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$360
• Net cashflow: $192

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,473

Max offer price $165,000

Occupancy floor 84%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $285	-5% $239	+0% $192	+5% $145	+10% $99
Rent	-10% $57	-5% $124	+0% $192	+5% $260	+10% $328
Rate	-1.0pp $275	-0.5pp $234	base $192	+0.5pp $149	+1.0pp $106

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: $41,250
• Closing costs: $4,950
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 12 events

1. 2026-05-15
   historical
2. 2026-04-10
   listed Auction
3. 2026-03-26
   status Pending
4. 2025-12-30
   status Active
5. 2025-11-21
   status Pending
6. 2025-10-01
   listed $165,000 Active
7. 2018-06-04
   soldstatus $80,000 107-char remark

   Show marketing remark (107 chars)

   Investment Opportunity! Brick 4 Unit on almost an acre! Estate sale. Includes TWO Car Garage. . sold as is.

8. 2018-04-16
   listed $95,000 107-char remark

   Show marketing remark (107 chars)

   Investment Opportunity! Brick 4 Unit on almost an acre! Estate sale. Includes TWO Car Garage. . sold as is.

9. 2017-07-01
   historical
10. 2017-01-11
    listed $119,900
11. 2016-12-16
    historical
12. 2016-09-05
    listed $120,000

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast IN · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $2,754 · $230/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $2,754 · $230/mo
• Expected delta: $0/yr ($0/mo · 0.0%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥102°F today · 14 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low 100% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 3/10 Moderate 2 unhealthy d/yr today · 3 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $20,592
• − Mortgage interest: −$9,243
• − Property taxes: −$2,754
• − Insurance: −$825
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,647
• − Management: −$1,647
• − Depreciation: −$4,800
• Taxable loss: −$324
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$78
• After-tax cash flow: $2,383/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)

• District: Lake Ridge New Tech Schools
• NCES district ID: 1805460
• Math proficiency: 11% ▼ -18.00%
• Reading proficiency: 20% ▼ -9.00%
• Median HH income: $34,568
• Composite: 12.67/100
• National rank: #9607
• State rank: #287 of 301 in IN

Livability — Ross

No livability data for this city. (Only ~50 U.S. cities are tracked.)

Census & demographics

• Census place: Ross, IN
• County: Lake County · 422,878 people
• City population: 15,571
• Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
• Population (ZIP): 15,747
• Household income: $47,453
• Rent vs Own: 41.2% rent · 58.8% own
• Severe rent burden: 619.0

Population outlook (Lake County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 484,026 people
• By 2030: 478,091 · -1.2%
• By 2040: 462,974 · -4.3%
• By 2050: 449,894 · -7.1%
• By 2075: 436,169 · -9.9%
• By 2100: 426,607 · -11.9%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Diverse neighborhood (Simpson 0.68)
• Race & ethnicity: Black 41% White 32% Hispanic / Latino 22% Two or more races 12%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 14% Puerto Rican 7%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 5% Iranian 1% Slovak 1%
• Foreign-born: 4% · Canada, China
• Languages at home: 87% English-only · Spanish 12% Chinese 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Lake

• 2024 margin: Lean D (+5.6) · D 52.1% · R 46.5% · Other 1.5%
• 2008→2024 swing: -28.6pp toward R · 2008: 34.3pp · 2024: 5.6pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+5.6 2020: D+15.1 2016: D+20.6 2012: D+31.0 2008: D+34.3

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -72.08%
• Current HPI: 155.6238
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.90%
• F500 in state: 18

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IN)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Industrial Machinery	2	$37B
▸Healthcare	1	$177B
▸Pharmaceuticals	1	$45B
▸Metals / Steel	1	$18B
▸Agriculture	1	$17B
▸Packaging	1	$12B

Price history

+37.5% since first listed

12 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-15 Listing Removed — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-04-10 Listed — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-03-26 Pending — NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-12-30 Relisted — NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-11-21 Pending — NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-10-01 Listed $165,000 NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2018-06-04 Sold (MLS) $80,000 NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2018-04-16 Listed $95,000 NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2017-07-01 Listing Removed — NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2017-01-11 Listed $119,900 NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2016-12-16 Listing Removed — NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2016-09-05 Listed $120,000 NIRA MLS as Distributed by MLS Grid

Property tax history

-5.1%/yr

Latest (2024): $2,754 · +6.7% YoY. Source: county tax records.