739 Villa St

Racine, WI 53403

$249,900C-

None bd · None ba · 2,937 sqft · Built 1880 · MultiFamily · Active · 48 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,131/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,311
• Tax + insurance: −$522
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$658
• Net cashflow: $641/mo
• Annual: $7,695/yr
• Cap rate: 9.37%
• Cash-on-cash: 11.00%
• DSCR: 1.49
• 1% rule: 1.25%
• Cash to close: $69,972

Investor read

• This is a multifamily listed at $250k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $641 ($8k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($3k rent vs $250k).
• It's been on market 48 days — a 3% lower offer ($242k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $242k (3.0% 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 80/100 on livability (#58 in WI, #1,622 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: commute A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment D, schools D-.
• Racine Unified School District (urban): math 12% / reading 20% proficiency, ranked #335 of 342 in WI (top 98%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Watch-outs: built in 1880 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+5.8%/yr); 91 active listings in the ZIP; 505 units permitted in Racine County in 2024 (287 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Racine County population projected to shrink 7% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• 2 sale attempts since 12y 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 $147k; list at $250k implies a 70% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 5.8% rent growth), your $70k cash investment doubles in ~8 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 9.4% vs local median 4.0% in Racine — 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 $3,131/mo this rent would consume 63% of the median local household income ($60k/yr) (locally 1164% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 48 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1880 — 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.
• Schools are D-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 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.