510 Lake St

Spirit Lake, IA 51360

$229,900D

3 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,344 sqft · Built 1930 · MultiFamily · Active · 27 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,825/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,206
• Tax + insurance: −$233
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$383
• Net cashflow: $3/mo
• Annual: $38/yr
• Cap rate: 6.31%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.06%
• DSCR: 1.00
• 1% rule: 0.79%
• Cash to close: $64,372

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.5-bath multifamily listed at $230k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $3 ($38/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $182k (20.6% below list).
• It's been on market 27 days — a 2% lower offer ($226k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $182k (20.6% 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 81/100 on livability (#69 in IA, #1,522 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Spirit Lake Community School District (town): math 73% / reading 78% proficiency, ranked #59 of 289 in IA (top 20%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Zoned schools: Spirit Lake Elementary School (math 77% / reading 67%, grade A-, #181 of 616 statewide, top 34%, 537 students, 28% FRL); Spirit Lake Middle School (math 70% / reading 75%, grade A, #90 of 246 statewide, top 38%, 358 students, 24% FRL); Spirit Lake High School (math 77% / reading 87%, grade A, #20 of 336 statewide, top 7%, 409 students, 23% FRL) — zoned schools at 25% FRL track the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1930 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 141 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 295 units permitted in Dickinson County in 2024 (16 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Dickinson County population projected at +12% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• 2 sale attempts since 2y 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 $125k; list at $230k implies a 84% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 6.3% vs local median 1.5% in Spirit Lake — 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.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1930 — 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 A-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 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.