133 Gardiner Rd · Wiscasset, ME 04578

$299,000

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,436 sqft · Other · 17 Days on market

Built 1900 2.25 ac lot $208/sqft · 32% below area Est $439k · 32% under

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Why this score? — see what drove the D 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).

• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• Appreciation +10.0/10.0
• Cash flow +5.7/30.0
• Livability +3.6/5.0
• Schools +2.9/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• 1% rule +0.9/10.0
• DSCR +0.1/10.0

Key facts

• 2.25 acre lot
• Garage
• Built 1900

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Zoned commercial
• HOA & community: Pets allowed with no restrictions

Exterior

• Parking: Detached 1-car garage; Additional paved parking for 5–10 vehicles
• Utilities: Public sewer; Water from well and public water; Electric service with circuit breakers; Electric water heater
• Home design: Single family residence; Built in 1900
• Construction: Wood siding and vinyl siding with wood frame construction; Block and granite foundation; Shingle roof
• Exterior features: Shed(s); Pasture/field and open, level lot; Near shopping and near town; Paved road access

Interior

• Kitchen: Refrigerator; Gas range
• Bedrooms: Bedroom 1 on second level; Bedroom 2 on second level; Bedroom 3 on second level
• Flooring: Wood flooring; Vinyl flooring
• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating
• Interior features: Partially furnished; 7 total rooms; Interior bulkhead to full, unfinished basement
• Laundry & utility: Washer

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath other listed at $299k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-616 ($-7k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $190k (36.4% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $175k (41.4% below list).
• Recommended offer: $175k (41.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Cap rate 3.8% vs local median 1.6% in Wiscasset — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 72/100 on livability (#52 in ME) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: schools D-, amenities F, commute F.
• Wiscasset Public Schools (rural): math 17% / reading 43% proficiency, ranked #169 of 185 in ME (top 91%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: 59 active listings in the ZIP; 158 units permitted in Lincoln County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $32k of equity ($2k loan paydown + $30k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Lincoln County population projected at -18% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• By year 2, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$51k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 17 days — a 2% lower offer ($295k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 27% chance of damaging wind over 30y — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $175,320 (41.4% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. 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?
2. Built in 1900 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. 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?
5. 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?
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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: 0.59% ✗
• Cap rate: 3.82%
• Cash-on-cash: -8.83%
• DSCR: 0.61
• GRM: 14.2

CMA / ARV

• ARV (median comp): $439,349
• List price: $299,000
• Delta: -31.94%
• Verdict: UNDERPRICED
• Comps: 16 within 1.0 mi

Projected returns pro-forma

10.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 18.1%
• Equity multiple: 2.48×
• Total profit: $123,588
• Equity at exit: $269,363

10-year hold

• IRR: 16.9%
• Equity multiple: 5.72×
• Total profit: $394,779
• Equity at exit: $580,891

Cash invested: $83,720 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 41 Moderately Tenant-Leaning
• State Maine: 41 Moderately Tenant-Leaning · D+2
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Portland has rent control referendum (2020); strong habitability; security deposit caps.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 04578

• Home prices YoY: 5.8%
• Active inventory: 59
• Price-to-rent: 14.2×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,753 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,568
• Tax from tax record: −$309 /mo · $3,703/yr
• Insurance: −$125
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$368
• Net cashflow: $-616

Break-even live

Break-even rent $2,533

Max offer price $190,159

Occupancy floor —

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: $74,750
• Closing costs: $8,970
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 2 events

1. 2026-05-18
   status Pending 1155-char remark
2. 2026-05-01
   listed $299,000 Active 1155-char remark

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

Tax reassessment forecast ME · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $3,703 · $309/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $3,885 · $324/mo
• Expected delta: +$182/yr (+$15/mo · 4.9%)

ⓘ 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 (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 4/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥88°F today · 17 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 6/10 Major 27% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $21,038
• − Mortgage interest: −$16,749
• − Property taxes: −$3,703
• − Insurance: −$1,495
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,683
• − Management: −$1,683
• − Depreciation: −$8,698
• Taxable loss: −$12,973
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$3,113
• After-tax cash flow: $-4,280/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: Wiscasset Public Schools
• NCES district ID: 2313980
• Math proficiency: 17% ▲ 2.00%
• Reading proficiency: 43% ▲ 8.00%
• Median HH income: $46,594
• Composite: 28.66/100
• National rank: #12025
• State rank: #169 of 185 in ME

Livability — Wiscasset

• Score: 72/100
• State rank: #52
• US rank: #5711

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Wiscasset, ME
• Population (ZIP): 4,608

Population outlook (Lincoln County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 33,059 people
• By 2030: 32,050 · -3.1%
• By 2040: 29,490 · -10.8%
• By 2050: 27,201 · -17.7%
• By 2075: 24,598 · -25.6%
• By 2100: 21,989 · -33.5%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (95%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 95% Two or more races 1% Black 1% Asian 1%
• Common ancestry: Iranian 10% Lithuanian 9% Slovak 8%
• Foreign-born: 2% · Canada
• Languages at home: 98% English-only · French/Haitian/Cajun 1% Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Lincoln

• 2024 margin: D (+11.2) · D 54.6% · R 43.4% · Other 2.0%
• 2008→2024 swing: -0.8pp no change · 2008: 12.0pp · 2024: 11.2pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+11.2 2020: D+10.3 2016: D+2.4 2012: D+11.7 2008: D+12.0

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 17.14%
• Current HPI: 311.4962
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: —
• F500 in state: 0

Price history

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-18 Pending — MREIS
• 2026-05-01 Listed $299,000 MREIS

Property tax history

+1.5%/yr

Latest (2025): $3,703 · +0.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.