219 Pond St · Muscatine, IA 52761

$75,000

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,510 sqft · SingleFamily public records

Built 1890 9,148 sqft lot

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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
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +4.9/10.0
• Livability +3.5/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Opportunity awaits with this 3-bedroom, 2-bath home situated on a spacious corner lot in a fantastic location! Just minutes from schools, parks, a baseball diamond, and the local soccer complex, this property offers convenience and great community amenities right outside your door. Inside, you'll find a functional layout with plenty of potential to make it your own. While the home does need some TLC, it's a perfect chance to build equity and customize to your style. Whether you're an investor or a buyer looking for a project, this property is full of possibilities!

Key facts

• 9,148 sq ft lot
• Garage
• Built 1890

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $75k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $482 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $75k).

Location & tenants

• 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.
• Market conditions: 188 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 65 units permitted in Muscatine County in 2024 (45 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $519 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Muscatine County population projected at +8% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $21k cash investment doubles in ~5 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 0 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 4 sale attempts since 8y ago; this cycle's ask has dropped $40k (35%) from the opening price — seller is motivated, your offer sets the floor, not the list.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: property tax is 2.6% of price; built in 1890 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $75,000

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1890 — 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. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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: 1.80% ✓
• Cap rate: 14.00%
• Cash-on-cash: 27.54%
• DSCR: 2.23
• GRM: 4.6

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 21.6%
• Equity multiple: 1.89×
• Total profit: $18,603
• Equity at exit: $11,183

10-year hold

• IRR: 29.8%
• Equity multiple: 3.67×
• Total profit: $55,972
• Equity at exit: $6,485

Cash invested: $21,000 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Iowa: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day pay-or-quit; mostly landlord-friendly statewide.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 52761

• Active inventory: 188
• Price-to-rent: 4.6×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,350 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$393
• Tax from tax record: −$160 /mo · $1,920/yr
• Insurance: −$31
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$284
• Net cashflow: $482

Break-even live

Break-even rent $740

Max offer price $75,000

Occupancy floor 59%

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: $18,750
• Closing costs: $2,250
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 1 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
609 W 3rd St Muscatine, IA	3.0	2.0	1672	$1,350	$0.81	14d	1	0.92mi

Listing history 12 events

1. 2025-12-17
   price $104,995
2. 2025-11-18
   price $109,995
3. 2025-11-03
   listed $114,995 Active
4. 2024-04-05
   price $97,000
5. 2021-01-15
   soldstatus $97,000
6. 2021-01-14
   soldstatus $97,000
7. 2021-01-14
   soldstatus $97,000
8. 2021-01-11
   price $97,500
9. 2020-01-02
   listed $97,500
10. 2020-01-02
    listed $97,500
11. 2018-12-20
    listed $89,500
12. 2003-02-24
    soldstatus $67,500

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

Tax reassessment forecast IA · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,920 · $160/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,920 · $160/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 · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 3/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥106°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 1 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $16,200
• − Mortgage interest: −$4,201
• − Property taxes: −$1,920
• − Insurance: −$375
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,296
• − Management: −$1,296
• − Depreciation: −$2,182
• Taxable income: $4,930
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,183
• After-tax cash flow: $4,600/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: Muscatine Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1920130
• Math proficiency: 55% ▼ -7.00%
• Reading proficiency: 59% ▲ 2.00%
• Median HH income: $50,193
• Composite: 48.6/100
• National rank: #2110
• State rank: #257 of 289 in IA

Livability — Muscatine

• Score: 70/100
• State rank: #358
• US rank: #7508

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Muscatine, IA
• City population: 29,800
• Population (ZIP): 29,800

Population outlook (Muscatine County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 44,820 people
• By 2030: 45,461 · +1.4%
• By 2040: 46,765 · +4.3%
• By 2050: 48,609 · +8.5%
• By 2075: 56,014 · +25.0%
• By 2100: 63,513 · +41.7%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (76%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 76% Hispanic / Latino 17% Two or more races 5% Black 4%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 13%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 2% Romanian 2% Iranian 2%
• Foreign-born: 7% · Canada
• Languages at home: 86% English-only · Spanish 11% French/Haitian/Cajun 1% Other Indo-European 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Muscatine

• 2024 margin: R (+14.9) · D 41.7% · R 56.6% · Other 1.7%
• 2008→2024 swing: -30.6pp toward R · 2008: 15.7pp · 2024: -14.9pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+14.9 2020: R+7.0 2016: R+6.6 2012: D+15.5 2008: D+15.7

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -130.30%
• Current HPI: 182.4493
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.48%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$16B
▸Retail / Convenience	1	$15B

Price history

+55.5% since first listed

12 events — show timeline

• 2025-12-17 Price Changed $104,995 IAR
• 2025-11-18 Price Changed $109,995 IAR
• 2025-11-03 Listed $114,995 IAR
• 2024-04-05 Price Changed $97,000 ICAARMLS
• 2021-01-15 Sold (Public Records) $97,000 Public Records
• 2021-01-14 Sold (MLS) $97,000 Muscatine BOR
• 2021-01-14 Sold (MLS) $97,000 ICAARMLS
• 2021-01-11 Price Changed $97,500 ICAARMLS
• 2020-01-02 Listed $97,500 Muscatine BOR
• 2020-01-02 Listed $97,500 ICAARMLS
• 2018-12-20 Listed $89,500 Muscatine BOR
• 2003-02-24 Sold (MLS) $67,500 Muscatine BOR

Property tax history

+1.0%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,920 · +3.6% YoY. Source: county tax records.