1227 Smalley St

Muscatine, IA 52761

$165,000B

5 bd · 3.0 ba · 2,696 sqft · Built 1878 · MultiFamily · Pending · 1 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,347/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$865
• Tax + insurance: −$274
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$493
• Net cashflow: $715/mo
• Annual: $8,581/yr
• Cap rate: 11.49%
• Cash-on-cash: 18.57%
• DSCR: 1.83
• 1% rule: 1.42%
• Cash to close: $46,200

Investor read

• This is a 2 × 2-bed/2.0-bath units multifamily listed at $165k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $715 ($9k/yr) — positive. Per door: $358/mo.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $165k).
• Only 1 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $5k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 70/100 on livability (#358 in IA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, crime B; Watch: health & safety D+, amenities F, commute F.
• Muscatine Community School District (town): math 55% / reading 59% proficiency, ranked #257 of 289 in IA (top 89%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Watch-outs: built in 1878 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 188 active listings in the ZIP; 65 units permitted in Muscatine County in 2024 (45 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Muscatine County population projected at +8% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• Current owner paid $37k; list at $165k implies a 346% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $46k cash investment doubles in ~7 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Questions for listing agent

• Can we see the unit-by-unit rent roll, current vacancy, and any below-market leases? What's the average tenancy length?
• What capital expenditures (roof, boiler, parking lot, exteriors) have been made in the last 5 years, and what's planned in the next 2?
• Built in 1878 — 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.
• 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.