4 bd · 2.0 ba ·
2,549 sqft ·
Built 1950
· SingleFamily
· Pending
· 184 DOM
Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)
Estimated rent
$1,643/mo
Mortgage (P&I)
−$1,043
Tax + insurance
−$390
HOA
−$0
Vac / Maint / Mgmt
−$345
Net cashflow
$-135/mo
Annual
$-1,620/yr
Cap rate
5.48%
Cash-on-cash
-2.91%
DSCR
0.87
1% rule
0.83%
Cash to close
$55,692
Investor read
This is a 4-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $199k.
At list price, monthly cash flow is $-135 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $175k (12.0% below list).
To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $164k (17.4% below list).
It's been on market 184 days — a 12% lower offer ($175k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Recommended offer: $164k (17.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $6k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
Location reads 77/100 on livability (#143 in MN, #3,111 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: housing A+, health & safety A+, cost of living A-; Watch: crime C-, amenities F, commute F.
Moorhead Public School District (suburban): math 39% / reading 46% proficiency, ranked #202 of 301 in MN (top 67%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
Zoned schools: Ellen Hopkins Elementary (math 50% / reading 42%, grade D-, #526 of 857 statewide, top 62%, 643 students, 46% FRL); Horizon Middle School (math 35% / reading 46%, grade F, #144 of 258 statewide, top 56%, 2,158 students, 48% FRL); Moorhead High School (math 44% / reading 59%, grade D+, #124 of 471 statewide, top 27%, 1,937 students, 40% FRL).
Watch-outs: built in 1950 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
Market conditions: Rents rising (+1.4%/yr); 394 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 23d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 269 units permitted in Clay County in 2024 (153 in 5+ unit buildings).
Clay County population projected at +23% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
2 sale attempts 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 $170k; 17% above their basis — modest negotiation headroom, anchor on the comps not their cost.
Cap rate 5.5% vs local median 3.7% in Moorhead — 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
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 184 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 17% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
Built in 1950 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
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 B-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.
CashFlowRE · CFR-FW2KTDFZ9S38TG
· Data 4 weeks agocashflowre.app · 2026-05-29