4 bd · 3.0 ba ·
1,243 sqft ·
Built 2026
· Townhouse
· Active
· 194 DOM
Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)
Estimated rent
$2,181/mo
Mortgage (P&I)
−$1,468
Tax + insurance
−$466
HOA
−$0
Vac / Maint / Mgmt
−$458
Net cashflow
$-212/mo
Annual
$-2,539/yr
Cap rate
5.39%
Cash-on-cash
-3.24%
DSCR
0.86
1% rule
0.78%
Cash to close
$78,372
Investor read
This is a 4-bed/3.0-bath townhouse listed at $280k. Condition is rated fair.
At list price, monthly cash flow is $-212 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $249k (10.9% below list).
To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $218k (22.1% below list).
It's been on market 194 days — a 12% lower offer ($246k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Recommended offer: $218k (22.1% 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 $8k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
Location reads 68/100 on livability (#177 in NC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, housing A+, employment A; Watch: health & safety D, amenities F, commute F.
Brunswick County Schools (rural): math 45% / reading 47% proficiency, ranked #82 of 178 in NC (top 46%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
Zoned schools: Town Creek Elementary (math 50% / reading 53%, grade C-, #392 of 1,410 statewide, top 28%, 654 students, 100% FRL); Leland Middle (math 26% / reading 36%, grade F, #326 of 475 statewide, top 69%, 780 students, 100% FRL); North Brunswick High (math 57% / reading 49%, grade C-, #281 of 535 statewide, top 53%, 1,450 students, 100% FRL) — zoned schools average 100% FRL vs 53% district-wide (46 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
Market conditions: Rents rising (+1.2%/yr); 2008 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 6,112 units permitted in Brunswick County in 2024 (990 in 5+ unit buildings).
Brunswick County population projected at +36% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
Cap rate 5.4% vs local median 3.2% in Leland — 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.
This rent runs 32% of the median local income ($81k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.
Questions for listing agent
What do current leases actually rent for vs. the listed asking? Can we see a recent rent roll and the last 12 months of T-12 income?
It's been on market 194 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 22% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
Have any recent inspections been done? Can we get a copy of the seller's disclosures and any deferred-maintenance estimates?
Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
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?
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.