1975 Hale St

Dubuque, IA 52001

$235,000D+

4 bd · 3.5 ba · 2,540 sqft · Built 1949 · SingleFamily · Pending · 1 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,734/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,232
• Tax + insurance: −$327
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$364
• Net cashflow: $-190/mo
• Annual: $-2,274/yr
• Cap rate: 5.33%
• Cash-on-cash: -3.46%
• DSCR: 0.85
• 1% rule: 0.74%
• Cash to close: $65,800

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/3.5-bath single-family listed at $235k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-190 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $202k (14.2% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $173k (26.2% below list).
• Only 1 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $173k (26.2% 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 $7k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 89/100 on livability (#7 in IA, #119 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: amenities A+, commute A+, cost of living A+; Watch: crime C-.
• Dubuque Community School District (urban): math 63% / reading 65% proficiency, ranked #205 of 289 in IA (top 71%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Irving Elementary School (math 72% / reading 62%, grade B+, #273 of 616 statewide, top 51%, 418 students, 43% FRL); George Washington Middle School (math 63% / reading 65%, grade B+, #166 of 246 statewide, top 68%, 624 students, 50% FRL); Dubuque Senior High School (math 63% / reading 74%, grade B, #181 of 336 statewide, top 54%, 1,435 students, 36% FRL).
• Watch-outs: built in 1949 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+5.6%/yr); 234 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 46d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 100% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; 473 units permitted in Dubuque County in 2024 (319 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Dubuque County population projected at +13% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• Cap rate 5.3% vs local median 3.5% in Dubuque — 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 34% of the median local income ($62k/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?
• Built in 1949 — 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.
• Schools are B-rated — typically a magnet for longer-tenancy family renters. What's the average tenant stay here, and is there a school-zone premium baked into asking?
• 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.
• 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.