609 Church St · Selma, AL 36701

$17,500

4 bd · 4.0 ba · 3,930 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 4 Days on market

Built 1920 0.29 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 +15.0/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• 1% rule +5.0/10.0
• DSCR +5.0/10.0
• Livability +2.8/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +0.9/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Great Potential ! SOLD IN AS IS CONDITION BUILT IN 1920 Large backyard

Key facts

• Large backyard
• 0.29 acre lot
• Parking

Tags

• LARGE BACKYARD

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: City lot with approximate dimensions 84 x 150 x 85 x 151 (0.2888 acre)

Exterior

• Parking: Driveway
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer; Cable available; Natural gas available
• Home design: 2-story wood-sided home
• Construction: Wood siding
• Exterior features: Covered porch; Porch

Interior

• Flooring: Wood
• Bathrooms: 4 full bathrooms
• Heating & cooling: Window unit(s) for cooling; Space heater for heating; Electric and gas water heaters
• Interior features: Wood flooring; Outdoor fireplace

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/4.0-bath single-family listed at $18k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $817 ($10k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $18k).
• Cap rate 62.3% vs local median 7.5% in Selma — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 56/100 on livability (#407 in AL) — a working-class tenant base; expect higher turnover. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing B; Watch: schools F, crime F, amenities F.
• Selma City (town): math 2% / reading 23% proficiency, ranked #118 of 129 in AL (top 92%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 84% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Market conditions: 104 active listings in the ZIP; 7 units permitted in Dallas County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $121 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $525 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Dallas County population projected at -36% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $5k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 4 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: property tax is 2.9% of price; built in 1920 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: severe wind risk, 80% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $17,500

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1920 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. Schools are F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
5. Crime grade is F in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
6. 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?
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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: 6.93% ✓
• Cap rate: 62.33%
• Cash-on-cash: 200.13%
• DSCR: 9.90
• GRM: 1.2

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $389,070
• Comps found: 2

Show comp detail 2 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
602 Church St	0.04mi	5/3.5 (+1)	4,335 (+10%)	3mo	$202,000	$47	71
626 Selma Ave	0.42mi	3/2.5 (-1)	3,533 (-10%)	8mo	$350,000	$99	46

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: —
• Equity multiple: 11.05×
• Total profit: $49,243
• Equity at exit: $2,609

10-year hold

• IRR: —
• Equity multiple: 23.45×
• Total profit: $110,024
• Equity at exit: $1,513

Cash invested: $4,900 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Alabama: 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+15
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Right-to-evict in 7 days for non-payment; no rent control; preempted statewide; courts move quickly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 36701

• Home prices YoY: -6.3%
• Active inventory: 104
• Price-to-rent: 1.2×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,213 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$92
• Tax from tax record: −$42 /mo · $503/yr
• Insurance: −$7
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$255
• Net cashflow: $817

Break-even live

Break-even rent $178

Max offer price $17,500

Occupancy floor 28%

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: $4,375
• Closing costs: $525
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 1 events

1. 2026-05-19
   listed $17,500 Active

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

Tax reassessment forecast AL · Resets to sale price

• Current annual tax: $503 · $42/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $503 · $42/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 3/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 7/10 Severe 7 d/yr ≥108°F today · 19 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 8/10 Severe 80% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 1 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,555
• − Mortgage interest: −$980
• − Property taxes: −$503
• − Insurance: −$88
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,164
• − Management: −$1,164
• − Depreciation: −$509
• Taxable income: $10,146
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$2,435
• After-tax cash flow: $7,371/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: Selma City
• NCES district ID: 0102970
• Math proficiency: 2% ▼ -24.00%
• Reading proficiency: 23% ▼ -2.00%
• Median HH income: $23,380
• Composite: 9.07/100
• National rank: #9870
• State rank: #118 of 129 in AL

Livability — Selma

• Score: 56/100
• State rank: #407
• US rank: #22550

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Selma, AL
• Population (ZIP): 22,358

Population outlook (Dallas County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 35,464 people
• By 2030: 32,631 · -8.0%
• By 2040: 27,246 · -23.2%
• By 2050: 22,691 · -36.0%
• By 2075: 14,867 · -58.1%
• By 2100: 10,285 · -71.0%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly Black (69%)
• Race & ethnicity: Black 69% White 28% Hispanic / Latino 2%
• Common ancestry: Serbian 1% Lithuanian 1% Slovak 1%
• Foreign-born: 2% · Canada
• Languages at home: 98% English-only · Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Dallas

• 2024 margin: Solid D (+32.5) · D 65.9% · R 33.4%
• 2008→2024 swing: -2.0pp toward R · 2008: 34.5pp · 2024: 32.5pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+32.5 2020: D+37.5 2016: D+37.6 2012: D+39.7 2008: D+34.5

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -11.98%
• Current HPI: 176.6034
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.94%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in AL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$8B
▸Healthcare	1	$5B

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 2026-05-19 Listed $17,500 MAAR

Property tax history

+16.1%/yr

Latest (2017): $503 · +81.7% YoY. Source: county tax records.