4 bd · None ba ·
1,997 sqft ·
Built —
· Townhouse
· Active
· 143 DOM
Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)
Estimated rent
$3,192/mo
Mortgage (P&I)
−$2,345
Tax + insurance
−$745
HOA
−$0
Vac / Maint / Mgmt
−$670
Net cashflow
$-569/mo
Annual
$-6,825/yr
Cap rate
4.77%
Cash-on-cash
-5.45%
DSCR
0.76
1% rule
0.71%
Cash to close
$125,221
Investor read
This is a 4-bed/?-bath townhouse listed at $389k. Condition is rated excellent.
At list price, monthly cash flow is $-569 ($-7k/yr) — negative.
To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $365k (6.2% below list).
To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $319k (17.9% below list).
It's been on market 143 days — a 12% lower offer ($342k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Recommended offer: $319k (17.9% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $3k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $13k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
Location reads 82/100 on livability (#79 in OH, #1,202 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
Westlake City (suburban): math 71% / reading 79% proficiency, ranked #76 of 656 in OH (top 12%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 15% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
Zoned schools: Westlake Elementary School (math 80% / reading 75%, grade A, #213 of 1,584 statewide, top 14%, 1,217 students, 15% FRL); Lee Burneson Middle School (math 75% / reading 83%, grade A+, #54 of 654 statewide, top 9%, 498 students, 16% FRL); Westlake High School (math 56% / reading 81%, grade B, #130 of 781 statewide, top 17%, 1,066 students, 15% FRL) — zoned schools at 16% FRL track the district average.
Market conditions: Rents rising (+2.3%/yr); 255 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 73d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 100% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; high-income renter base; 1,441 units permitted in Cuyahoga County in 2024 (700 in 5+ unit buildings).
Cuyahoga County population projected to shrink 8% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
Cap rate 4.8% vs local median 3.7% in Westlake — meaningfully above typical; check what's discounted (condition, days-on-market, listing class) to confirm the premium yield is real.
This rent runs 34% of the median local income ($112k/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?
It's been on market 143 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 18% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
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.
CashFlowRE · CFR-FP236J48YZ9APB
· Data 1 month agocashflowre.app · 2026-05-29