98 Brookside St · Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705

$149,900

5 bd · 3.0 ba · 2,800 sqft · MultiFamily public records · 88 Days on market

Built 1900 0.39 ac lot $54/sqft · 34% below area Est $229k · 34% under

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Why this score? — see what drove the B 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 +30.0/30.0
• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• 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

Multi-family units

County records classify this as Multi-Family (2-4 Unit). Listing-text estimate: 1 unit. estimate disagrees with records

Listing remarks MLS

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY - HOME IS A TOTAL REHAB. 98 HAS 3 BEDROOM ONE BATH AND 100 HAS TWO ONE BEDROOM ONE BATH APARTMENTS. LARGE LOT WITH OFF STREET PARKING. CALL TODAY!

Key facts

• 0.39 acre lot
• 6 parking spots
• Listed 88 days

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 5-bed/3.0-bath multifamily listed at $150k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $2k ($21k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($4k rent vs $150k).
• Recommended offer: $141k (6.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Cap rate 21.0% vs local median 5.7% in Wilkes-Barre — 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: area grade B — 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.
• Market conditions: 74 active listings in the ZIP; 349 units permitted in Luzerne County in 2024 (16 in 5+ unit buildings).
• At $3,643/mo this rent would consume 74% of the median local household income ($59k/yr) (locally 549% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k 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.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $42k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 88 days — a 6% lower offer ($141k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: flood insurance adds $66/mo; built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: severe flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $140,906 (6.0% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. It's been on market 88 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 6% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
2. Built in 1900 — 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. Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
5. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 2.43% ✓
• Cap rate: 21.04%
• Cash-on-cash: 52.66%
• DSCR: 3.34
• GRM: 3.4

CMA / ARV

• ARV (median comp): $228,580
• List price: $149,900
• Delta: -34.42%
• Verdict: UNDERPRICED
• Comps: 20 within 1.0 mi

Show comp detail 7 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
46 48 Chestnut St	0.25mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,465 (-12%)	2mo	$200,000	$81	58
801 Washington St	0.20mi	5/3.0	2,392 (-15%)	16mo	$237,000	$99	53
563 Franklin St	0.53mi	5/2.0	2,900 (+4%)	21mo	$210,000	$72	48
27-29 Oliver St	0.62mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,875 (+3%)	13mo	$250,000	$87	46
257 255 Bowman St	0.57mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,569 (-8%)	17mo	$210,000	$82	36
149 151 George Ave	0.56mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,560 (-9%)	24mo	$216,000	$84	31
13-15 John St	0.63mi	4/4.0 (-1)	2,400 (-14%)	18mo	$165,000	$69	23

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: 48.6%
• Equity multiple: 3.12×
• Total profit: $88,894
• Equity at exit: $22,351

10-year hold

• IRR: 54.2%
• Equity multiple: 6.32×
• Total profit: $223,415
• Equity at exit: $12,961

Cash invested: $41,972 (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: 74
• Price-to-rent: 9.0×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $3,643 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$786
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$187 /mo · $2,248/yr
• Insurance: −$62
• Flood insurance flood zone: −$66 /mo · $798/yr
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$765
• Net cashflow: $1,776

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,395

Max offer price $149,900

Occupancy floor 46%

3-unit breakdown (identical units grouped — click to expand)

Units	Beds	Baths	Est. rent
1× unit	3	1	$1,381
▸ 2× units	1	1	$2,262
Total (3 units)			$3,643

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: $37,475
• Closing costs: $4,497
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 5 events

1. 2026-06-02
   days on market $149,900 Active 88 DOM
2. 2026-06-01
   days on market $149,900 Active 87 DOM
3. 2026-05-31
   days on market $149,900 Active 86 DOM
4. 2026-05-30
   days on market $149,900 Active 85 DOM
5. 2026-03-05
   listed $149,900 Active 169-char remark

   Show marketing remark (169 chars)

   INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY - HOME IS A TOTAL REHAB. 98 HAS 3 BEDROOM ONE BATH AND 100 HAS TWO ONE BEDROOM ONE BATH APARTMENTS. LARGE LOT WITH OFF STREET PARKING. CALL TODAY!

ⓘ 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 · 99% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 4/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥95°F today · 17 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 3/10 Moderate 4% 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: $43,716
• − Mortgage interest: −$8,397
• − Property taxes: −$2,248
• − Insurance: −$1,547
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$3,497
• − Management: −$3,497
• − Depreciation: −$4,361
• Taxable income: $20,168
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$4,840
• After-tax cash flow: $16,467/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

1 event — show timeline

• 2026-03-05 Listed $149,900 GLVRMLS

Property tax history

+20.4%/yr

Latest (2026): $10,040 · +0.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.