54520 United Country Ct · Sandstone, MN 55072

$140,000

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 768 sqft · Other public records · 11 Days on market

Built 2023 1.54 ac lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the C- 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 +13.9/30.0
• Appreciation +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• DSCR +4.2/10.0
• Livability +3.6/5.0
• 1% rule +3.1/10.0
• Schools +3.1/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0

Listing remarks MLS

Bring your building plans to this beautiful wooded lot to begin your new country living. Mature trees create a shady, private, peaceful location. Located just off I-35 and only a one mile drive to downtown Sandstone. Electric and driveway approach are two of the things you can eliminate off the check list when putting your dream home into reality.

Key facts

• Oak trees
• Large main level
• 1.58 acres

Tags

• 1.58 ACRES
• OAK TREES
• LARGE MAIN LEVEL

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: Gravel parking; No carport
• Utilities: Drilled water source; Mound septic system; Electric and wood fuel; Electric service by Minnesota Power
• Home design: Residential property; One-and-a-half story; Main living area on main level
• Construction: Frame construction; Slab foundation (24 x 32 foundation dimensions); Built area above grade 768; Total building area 1,088
• Exterior features: Lot approximately 1.537 acres with dimensions 549 x 309 x 328 x 70; Township road frontage on a public maintained road; Other exterior features

Interior

• Kitchen: Range; Refrigerator; Kitchen (9 x 12)
• Bedrooms: One bedroom located on the upper level (10 x 32)
• Bathrooms: One full bathroom on the main floor (9 x 9)
• Heating & cooling: Ductless mini-split heating; Ductless mini-split cooling
• Interior features: Main-floor full bathroom; No basement; Wood-burning stove in living room fireplace

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath other listed at $140k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $15 ($180/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $114k (18.6% below list).
• Recommended offer: $114k (18.6% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 72/100 on livability (#267 in MN) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, health & safety A+, crime A; Watch: schools C-, employment D+, amenities D-.
• East Central School District (rural): math 33% / reading 40% proficiency, ranked #248 of 301 in MN (top 82%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: 37 active listings in the ZIP; 116 units permitted in Pine County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $15k of equity ($968 loan paydown + $14k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Pine County population projected at -24% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (10.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $39k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• By year 3, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$38k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• Only 11 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 3 sale attempts since 7y 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 $20k; list at $140k implies a 604% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Recommended offer $113,984 (18.6% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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: 0.81% ✗
• Cap rate: 6.42%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.46%
• DSCR: 1.02
• GRM: 10.2

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

10.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 24.6%
• Equity multiple: 2.97×
• Total profit: $77,168
• Equity at exit: $126,123

10-year hold

• IRR: 21.7%
• Equity multiple: 6.78×
• Total profit: $226,432
• Equity at exit: $271,989

Cash invested: $39,200 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 46 Balanced
• State Minnesota: 46 Balanced · D+2
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

2024 reforms strengthened tenant protections; ramsey/hennepin courts paced moderate to slow.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 55072

• Home prices YoY: 12.9%
• Active inventory: 37
• Price-to-rent: 10.2×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,140 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$734
• Tax from tax record: −$93 /mo · $1,116/yr
• Insurance: −$58
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$239
• Net cashflow: $15

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,121

Max offer price $140,000

Occupancy floor 94%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $94	-5% $55	+0% $15	+5% $-25	+10% $-64
Rent	-10% $-75	-5% $-30	+0% $15	+5% $60	+10% $105
Rate	-1.0pp $85	-0.5pp $51	base $15	+0.5pp $-21	+1.0pp $-58

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: $35,000
• Closing costs: $4,200
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 9 events

1. 2026-06-21
   days on market $140,000 Active 11 DOM
2. 2026-06-18
   days on market $140,000 Active 9 DOM
3. 2026-06-17
   days on market $140,000 Active 8 DOM
4. 2026-06-16
   days on market $140,000 Active 7 DOM
5. 2026-06-15
   days on market $140,000 Active 6 DOM
6. 2026-06-13
   days on market $140,000 Active 4 DOM
7. 2026-06-12
   days on market $140,000 Active 3 DOM
8. 2026-06-09
   remarks 490-char remark
9. 2026-06-09
   listed $140,000 Active 1 DOM

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

Tax reassessment forecast MN · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,116 · $93/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,342 · $112/mo
• Expected delta: +$226/yr (+$19/mo · 20.3%)

ⓘ 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 4/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 1/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥95°F today · 13 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 1/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 1 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $13,678
• − Mortgage interest: −$7,842
• − Property taxes: −$1,116
• − Insurance: −$700
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,094
• − Management: −$1,094
• − Depreciation: −$4,073
• Taxable loss: −$2,241
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$538
• After-tax cash flow: $718/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: East Central School District
• NCES district ID: 2711085
• Math proficiency: 33% ▼ -14.00%
• Reading proficiency: 40% ▼ -12.00%
• Median HH income: $41,790
• Composite: 30.78/100
• National rank: #6152
• State rank: #248 of 301 in MN

Livability — Sandstone

• Score: 72/100
• State rank: #267
• US rank: #5808

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Population (ZIP): 4,409

Population outlook (Pine County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 27,565 people
• By 2030: 26,567 · -3.6%
• By 2040: 23,878 · -13.4%
• By 2050: 20,931 · -24.1%
• By 2075: 15,372 · -44.2%
• By 2100: 11,032 · -60.0%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (77%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 77% Hispanic / Latino 7% Black 7% Two or more races 5% Native American 5% Asian 1%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 2%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 8% Romanian 3% Slovak 2%
• Foreign-born: 5% · Canada
• Languages at home: 93% English-only · Spanish 5%

Political lean MEDSL · Pine

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+35.2) · D 31.6% · R 66.8% · Other 1.6%
• 2008→2024 swing: -36.7pp toward R · 2008: 1.5pp · 2024: -35.2pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+35.2 2020: R+30.2 2016: R+26.3 2012: R+0.7 2008: D+1.5

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 28.97%
• Current HPI: 253.85
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.41%
• F500 in state: 34

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in MN)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Healthcare	2	$407B
▸Retail	2	$150B
▸Consumer Goods	2	$32B
▸Industrial Machinery	2	$6B
▸Agriculture	1	$40B
▸Healthcare / Medical Devices	1	$32B

Price history

+700.0% since first listed

7 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-09 Listed $140,000 NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2022-06-23 Sold (MLS) $19,900 NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2022-06-17 Sold (Public Records) $19,900 Public Records
• 2022-06-02 Pending — NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2021-07-09 Listed $19,900 NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2021-04-30 Listing Removed — NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2019-06-11 Listed $17,500 NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid

Property tax history

+11.3%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,116 · +342.9% YoY. Source: county tax records.