234 N College Ave

Chestertown, MD 21620

$100,000B-

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,296 sqft · Built 1900 · SingleFamily · Active · 10 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,509/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$524
• Tax + insurance: −$158
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$317
• Net cashflow: $509/mo
• Annual: $6,111/yr
• Cap rate: 12.40%
• Cash-on-cash: 21.83%
• DSCR: 1.97
• 1% rule: 1.51%
• Cash to close: $28,000

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $100k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $509 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $100k).
• Only 10 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $691 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $3k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 66/100 on livability (#238 in MD) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: health & safety A-; Watch: employment D+, amenities F, commute F.
• Kent County Public Schools (rural): math 10% / reading 28% proficiency, ranked #20 of 24 in MD (top 83%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: H. H. Garnett Elementary (math 8% / reading 17%, grade F, #538 of 860 statewide, top 64%, 347 students, 100% FRL); Kent County Middle School (math 7% / reading 29%, grade F, #165 of 225 statewide, top 75%, 399 students, 64% FRL); Kent County High (math 27% / reading 57%, grade F, #126 of 222 statewide, top 57%, 531 students, 54% FRL) — zoned schools average 73% FRL vs 47% district-wide (26 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 126 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals leasing fast (median 0d on market — plan ~1-2 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 50 units permitted in Kent County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Kent County population projected at -20% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 3 sale attempts; this cycle's ask has dropped $20k (17%) from the opening price — seller is motivated, your offer sets the floor, not the list.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $28k cash investment doubles in ~6 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 60% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→15/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 12.4% vs local median 2.7% in Chestertown — 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 1900 — 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 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?
• 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.