73 Chestnut St · Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705

$129,900

2 bd · 1.5 ba · 798 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 36 Days on market

Built 1920 3,750 sqft lot Est $171k · 24% under

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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 +17.0/30.0
• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• DSCR +5.3/10.0
• 1% rule +4.6/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Livability +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +2.1/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Nicely maintained 3-level w/ all new carpets & all newly painted. Upgraded eat-in kitchen w/ new backsplash, countertops and tile flooring. 1-1/2 baths. Rear deck w/ spacious back yard, 2 driveways plus carport.

Key facts

• New tile flooring
• Spacious back yard
• New countertops

Tags

• UPGRADED EAT-IN KITCHEN
• NEW BACKSPLASH
• NEW COUNTERTOPS
• NEW TILE FLOORING
• REAR DECK
• SPACIOUS BACK YARD

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $130k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $21 ($255/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 $125k (4.0% below list).
• Recommended offer: $125k (4.0% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Cap rate 7.1% vs local median 5.9% in Wilkes-Barre — meaningfully above typical; check what's discounted (condition, days-on-market, listing class) to confirm the premium yield is real.

Location & tenants

• Location reads: area grade C — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Wilkes-Barre Area SD (urban): math 19% / reading 32% proficiency, ranked #469 of 539 in PA (top 87%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 61% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Daniel J Flood El Sch (math 12% / reading 27%, grade F, #1,276 of 1,518 statewide, top 85%, 592 students, 100% FRL); Solomon/Plains Ms (math 2% / reading 27%, grade F, #475 of 512 statewide, top 93%, 736 students, 100% FRL) — zoned schools average 100% FRL vs 61% district-wide (39 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: 76 active listings in the ZIP; 33 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 23d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 45% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; 349 units permitted in Luzerne County in 2024 (16 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $898 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Luzerne County population projected at +4% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 36 days — a 3% lower offer ($126k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• 2 sale attempts 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.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: flood insurance adds $66/mo; built in 1920 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: severe flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $124,734 (4.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 36 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 4% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
2. Built in 1920 — 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. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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: 0.96% ✗
• Cap rate: 7.10%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.89%
• DSCR: 1.13
• GRM: 8.7

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $170,772
• Comps found: 2

Show comp detail 2 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
16 Brookside St	0.39mi	2/1.0	887 (+11%)	1mo	$140,000	$158	60
369 N Pennsylvania Ave	0.74mi	3/1.0 (+1)	819 (+3%)	9mo	$175,000	$214	47

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: -15.1%
• Equity multiple: 0.46×
• Total profit: $-19,637
• Equity at exit: $19,369

10-year hold

• IRR: -6.5%
• Equity multiple: 0.58×
• Total profit: $-15,115
• Equity at exit: $11,231

Cash invested: $36,372 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 62 Landlord-Friendly
• State Pennsylvania: 62 Landlord-Friendly · EVEN
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

10-day notice; Philadelphia has eviction-court diversion + some protections; otherwise moderate.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 18705

• Home prices YoY: -22.7%
• Active inventory: 76
• Price-to-rent: 8.7×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,247 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$681
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$162 /mo · $1,948/yr
• Insurance: −$54
• Flood insurance flood zone: −$66 /mo · $798/yr
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$262
• Net cashflow: $21

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,220

Max offer price $129,900

Occupancy floor 93%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $111	-5% $66	+0% $21	+5% $-24	+10% $-69
Rent	-10% $-77	-5% $-28	+0% $21	+5% $71	+10% $120
Rate	-1.0pp $87	-0.5pp $54	base $21	+0.5pp $-12	+1.0pp $-47

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: $32,475
• Closing costs: $3,897
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 33 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
13 E Chestnut St Unit 1 Wilkes-Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	900	$1,195	$1.33	45d	1	0.19mi
572 N Franklin St Wilkes Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	1042	$1,100	$1.06	45d	1	0.24mi
572 N Franklin St Wilkes Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	1042	$1,050	$1.01	23d	1	0.24mi
779 N Washington St Wilkes-Barre, PA	1.0	1.0	600	$1,000	$1.67	15d	1	0.29mi
301 N Main St Unit 2 Wilkes-Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	1050	$1,300	$1.24	23d	1	0.71mi
168 Kidder St City of Wilkes Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	750	$1,250	$1.67	23d	1	0.82mi
168-170 Kidder St Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	750	$1,250	$1.67	23d	1	0.82mi
261 N Washington St Wilkes Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	1050	$1,400	$1.33	45d	1	0.87mi
402 Scott St Fl 3 Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	761	$950	$1.25	45d	1	0.87mi
11 Holiday Dr Kingston, PA	1.0–3.0	1.0–2.5	1083	$2,044	$1.89	15d	14	0.87mi
423 Scott St Apt 1 Wilkes-Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	1100	$1,450	$1.32	45d	1	0.89mi
268 N Pennsylvania Ave Unit 2 Wilkes-Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	758	$1,300	$1.72	23d	1	0.89mi
102 Maffett St Wilkes-Barre, PA	1.0	1.0	800	$1,200	$1.50	45d	1	0.95mi
30 Chapel St Wilkes Barre, PA	1.0	1.0	700	$1,150	$1.64	23d	1	0.98mi
100 Parkway Blvd Kingston, PA	2.0	1.0	650	$1,400	$2.15	15d	1	1.00mi
273 New Hancock St Unit 2 Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	725	$1,300	$1.79	23d	1	1.08mi
157 E Walnut St Kingston, PA	2.0	1.0	900	$1,000	$1.11	15d	1	1.08mi
273 New Hancock St Apt 3 Wilkes-Barre, PA	1.0	1.0	625	$1,125	$1.80	45d	1	1.08mi
151 E Walnut St Kingston, PA	2.0	1.0	900	$1,000	$1.11	15d	1	1.09mi
19 N River St Unit 403 Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	723	$1,600	$2.21	15d	1	1.25mi
19 N River St Unit 308 Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.5	910	$1,600	$1.76	15d	1	1.25mi
2 N Diamond St Wilkes-Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	1000	$1,500	$1.50	23d	1	1.26mi
17 E Carey St Unit 3 Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	1000	$1,200	$1.20	45d	1	1.31mi
17 E Carey St Unit 1 Wilkes-Barre, PA	1.0	1.0	560	$1,000	$1.79	45d	1	1.31mi
67-69 Public Sq Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	910	$1,875	$2.06	45d	1	1.34mi
26 E Carey St Apt 4 Wilkes-Barre, PA	3.0	1.0	1050	$1,300	$1.24	15d	1	1.34mi
67-69 Public Sq #1203 Wilkes Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	875	$1,825	$2.09	45d	1	1.35mi
42 N Thomas Ave Kingston, PA	1.0	1.0	950	$1,150	$1.21	46d	1	1.37mi
300 Market St Ste 104 Kingston, PA	2.0	2.0	873	$1,950	$2.23	15d	1	1.40mi
942 Wyoming Ave Unit A Forty Fort, PA	2.0	1.5	1054	$1,600	$1.52	45d	1	1.46mi
313 Rutter Ave Kingston, PA	2.0	1.0	727	$1,450	$1.99	45d	1	1.48mi
313 Rutter Ave Kingston, PA	2.0	1.0	678	$1,450	$2.14	23d	1	1.48mi
214 Mayock St Unit 3 Wilkes-Barre, PA	2.0	1.0	1000	$1,150	$1.15	45d	1	1.49mi

Listing history 4 events

1. 2026-04-22
   status Pending
2. 2026-03-24
   status Active
3. 2026-03-21
   status Pending
4. 2026-03-13
   listed $129,900 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 X (shaded) · 99% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 4/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥95°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 3/10 Moderate 5% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 3/10 Moderate 2 unhealthy d/yr today · 4 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,968
• − Mortgage interest: −$7,276
• − Property taxes: −$1,948
• − Insurance: −$1,447
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,197
• − Management: −$1,197
• − Depreciation: −$3,779
• Taxable loss: −$1,878
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$451
• After-tax cash flow: $705/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: Wilkes-Barre Area SD
• NCES district ID: 4226300
• Math proficiency: 19% ▼ -2.00%
• Reading proficiency: 32% ▼ -9.00%
• Median HH income: $37,420
• Composite: 21.22/100
• National rank: #8409
• State rank: #469 of 539 in PA

Livability — Wilkes-Barre

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

Census & demographics

• Census place: Wilkes-Barre, PA
• County: Luzerne County · 118,885 people
• City population: 73,981
• Metro: Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
• Population (ZIP): 15,624
• Household income: $59,344
• Rent vs Own: 39.2% rent · 60.8% own
• Severe rent burden: 549.0

Population outlook (Luzerne County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 319,505 people
• By 2030: 319,943 · +0.1%
• By 2040: 322,643 · +1.0%
• By 2050: 330,817 · +3.5%
• By 2075: 379,145 · +18.7%
• By 2100: 431,908 · +35.2%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (68%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 68% Hispanic / Latino 22% Two or more races 11% Black 4%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 7% Puerto Rican 5% Dominican 9%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 19% Scotch-Irish 3% Polish 2%
• Foreign-born: 11% · Canada
• Languages at home: 79% English-only · Spanish 17% Other Indo-European 2% Russian/Polish/Slavic 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Luzerne

• 2024 margin: R (+19.2) · D 40.0% · R 59.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -27.6pp toward R · 2008: 8.4pp · 2024: -19.2pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+19.2 2020: R+14.4 2016: R+19.6 2012: D+4.8 2008: D+8.4

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -71.77%
• Current HPI: 243.9176
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.68%
• F500 in state: 34

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in PA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Healthcare	2	$309B
▸Insurance	2	$27B
▸Telecommunications / Media	1	$124B
▸Industrial Distribution	1	$22B
▸Financial Services	1	$20B
▸Chemicals / Materials	1	$18B

Price history

4 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-22 Pending — LCAR
• 2026-03-24 Relisted — LCAR
• 2026-03-21 Pending — LCAR
• 2026-03-13 Listed $129,900 LCAR

Property tax history

+20.4%/yr

Latest (2026): $7,580 · +0.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.