3474 Merrill Mountain Rd · New Hope, AL 35747

$122,000

4 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,683 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 3 Days on market

Built 2020 1.00 ac lot Est $118k · at est.

---

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
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• 1% rule +8.6/10.0
• ARV discount +5.9/15.0
• Livability +3.4/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +2.2/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks MLS

1.27+/- ON MERRILL MOUNTAIN

Key facts

• Abundant fruit trees
• Custom wood details
• Oak covered porch

Tags

• CUSTOM WOOD DETAILS
• WOOD BURNING FIREPLACE
• OAK COVERED PORCH
• SUNROOM OVERLOOKING PROPERTY
• ABUNDANT FRUIT TREES
• MATURE MUSCADINE VINE

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $122k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $597 ($7k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $122k).
• Cap rate 12.2% vs local median 3.4% in New Hope — 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 67/100 on livability (#91 in AL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety F.
• Marshall County (rural): math 14% / reading 38% proficiency, ranked #86 of 129 in AL (top 67%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 63% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Kate D Smith Dar Elementary School (math 27% / reading 52%, grade F, #243 of 627 statewide, top 41%, 585 students, 43% FRL); Kate Duncan Smith Dar Middle (math 13% / reading 54%, grade F, #99 of 257 statewide, top 39%, 364 students, 42% FRL); Kate D Smith Dar High School (math 32% / reading 52%, grade F, #28 of 305 statewide, top 10%, 394 students, 34% FRL) — zoned schools average 39% FRL vs 63% district-wide (24 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 38% at this address vs 26% district-wide (+12 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Marshall County average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Market conditions: 95 active listings in the ZIP; 163 units permitted in Marshall County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $843 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $34k cash investment doubles in ~6 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 3 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 3 sale attempts since 6y ago 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.
• Current owner paid $80k; list at $122k implies a 53% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Recommended offer $122,000

Questions for the listing agent

1. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
2. Schools are D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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: 1.36% ✓
• Cap rate: 12.17%
• Cash-on-cash: 20.99%
• DSCR: 1.93
• GRM: 6.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $117,810
• Comps found: 1

Show comp detail 1 sale within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
3474 Merrill Mountain Rd	0.00mi	4/1.5	1,800 (+7%)	1mo	$126,200	$70	88

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: 13.4%
• Equity multiple: 1.53×
• Total profit: $18,228
• Equity at exit: $18,191

10-year hold

• IRR: 22.2%
• Equity multiple: 2.89×
• Total profit: $64,657
• Equity at exit: $10,548

Cash invested: $34,160 (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 35747

• Home prices YoY: -28.9%
• Active inventory: 95
• Price-to-rent: 6.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,665 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$640
• Tax from tax record: −$27 /mo · $327/yr
• Insurance: −$51
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$350
• Net cashflow: $597

Break-even live

Break-even rent $909

Max offer price $122,000

Occupancy floor 59%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $666	-5% $632	+0% $597	+5% $563	+10% $528
Rent	-10% $466	-5% $532	+0% $597	+5% $663	+10% $729
Rate	-1.0pp $659	-0.5pp $628	base $597	+0.5pp $566	+1.0pp $534

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: $30,500
• Closing costs: $3,660
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 8 events

1. 2026-04-13
   status Pending
2. 2026-04-11
   status Active
3. 2026-04-04
   status Pending
4. 2026-04-03
   listed $122,000 Active
5. 2023-06-30
   soldstatus $79,900
6. 2020-05-15
   soldstatus $2,000 Sold 27-char remark

   Show marketing remark (27 chars)

   1.27+/- ON MERRILL MOUNTAIN

7. 2020-04-10
   status Pending 27-char remark

   Show marketing remark (27 chars)

   1.27+/- ON MERRILL MOUNTAIN

8. 2020-04-08
   listed $2,000 Active 27-char remark

   Show marketing remark (27 chars)

   1.27+/- ON MERRILL MOUNTAIN

ⓘ 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: $327 · $27/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $500 · $42/mo
• Expected delta: +$173/yr (+$14/mo · 52.8%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $19,979
• − Mortgage interest: −$6,834
• − Property taxes: −$327
• − Insurance: −$610
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,598
• − Management: −$1,598
• − Depreciation: −$3,549
• Taxable income: $5,462
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,311
• After-tax cash flow: $5,858/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: Marshall County
• NCES district ID: 0100006
• Math proficiency: 14% ▼ -26.00%
• Reading proficiency: 38% ▲ 2.00%
• Median HH income: $40,439
• Composite: 21.88/100
• National rank: #8234
• State rank: #86 of 129 in AL

Livability — New Hope

• Score: 67/100
• State rank: #91
• US rank: #11179

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• City population: 4,908
• Population (ZIP): 6,546

Population outlook (Marshall County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 97,402 people
• By 2030: 98,138 · +0.8%
• By 2040: 98,502 · +1.1%
• By 2050: 97,024 · -0.4%
• By 2075: 89,334 · -8.3%
• By 2100: 74,749 · -23.3%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (89%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 89% Two or more races 8% Hispanic / Latino 7% Asian 2%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Puerto Rican 2%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 4% Italian 1% Romanian 1%
• Foreign-born: 2% · South Korea, Canada
• Languages at home: 97% English-only · Spanish 2% Korean 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Marshall

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+71.7) · D 13.8% · R 85.5%
• 2008→2024 swing: -15.4pp toward R · 2008: -56.4pp · 2024: -71.7pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+71.7 2020: R+68.7 2016: R+69.5 2012: R+60.1 2008: R+56.4

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -91.60%
• Current HPI: 225.7152
• 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

+6000.0% since first listed

8 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-13 Pending — VMLS
• 2026-04-11 Relisted — VMLS
• 2026-04-04 Pending — VMLS
• 2026-04-03 Listed $122,000 VMLS
• 2023-06-30 Sold (Public Records) $79,900 Public Records
• 2020-05-15 Sold (MLS) $2,000 VMLS
• 2020-04-10 Pending — VMLS
• 2020-04-08 Listed $2,000 VMLS

Property tax history

-8.4%/yr

Latest (2025): $327 · -33.4% YoY. Source: county tax records.