540 E Linn St · Coggon, IA 52218

$165,000

3 bd · 1.5 ba · 936 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 2 Days on market

Built 1955 0.49 ac lot Est $143k · 15% over

---

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

• Appreciation +10.0/10.0
• Schools +6.5/10.0
• Cash flow +6.3/30.0
• Livability +3.8/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• 1% rule +0.9/10.0
• ARV discount +0.7/15.0
• DSCR +0.6/10.0

Listing remarks MLS

This charming ranch located just 20 minutes from Marion is a must see! Third bedroom has been converted into a main floor laundry and could easily be converted back to a bedroom. This home has so much to offer a first time home buyer - sunroom, deck, eat-in kitchen with built-ins all on a nearly 1/2 acre lot. The barn/garage is perfect for your hobbies. The basement is dry and just waiting for your finishing touches. Enjoy your scenic drive to Coggon.

Key facts

• 0.49 acre lot
• Garage
• Built 1955

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: Detached garage; Garage with door opener; Carport; 1 garage space
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single family residence; Residential property type
• Construction: Frame construction; Vinyl siding
• Exterior features: Deck; Fenced yard; Outbuilding

Interior

• Kitchen: Range; Range hood; Dishwasher; Garbage disposal; Refrigerator; Gas water heater
• Bedrooms: 5 total rooms (includes bedrooms and living spaces)
• Bathrooms: 2 full bathrooms
• Heating & cooling: Natural gas heating; Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Accessible entrance; Full basement
• Laundry & utility: Washer; Dryer

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $165k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-297 ($-4k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $113k (31.8% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $97k (41.3% below list).
• Recommended offer: $97k (41.3% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 76/100 on livability (#196 in IA, #3,575 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: employment A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• North Linn Community School District (rural): math 73% / reading 77% proficiency, ranked #62 of 289 in IA (top 22%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 16% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Zoned schools: North Linn Elementary (math 77% / reading 62%, grade A-, #224 of 616 statewide, top 42%, 274 students, 24% FRL); North-Linn Middle School (math 72% / reading 77%, grade A, #76 of 246 statewide, top 33%, 95 students, 20% FRL).
• Market conditions: 17 active listings in the ZIP; 1,023 units permitted in Linn County in 2024 (456 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $18k of equity ($1k loan paydown + $16k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Linn County population projected at +16% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• By year 3, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$45k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• Only 2 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 2 sale attempts since 8y 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 $86k; list at $165k implies a 92% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1955 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $96,823 (41.3% 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 1955 — 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 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?
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: 4.14%
• Cash-on-cash: -7.70%
• DSCR: 0.66
• GRM: 14.2

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $143,208
• Comps found: 4

Show comp detail 4 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
321 S 3rd St	0.26mi	3/1.0	967 (+3%)	2mo	$147,500	$153	79
215 2nd St N	0.28mi	2/1.0 (-1)	1,061 (+13%)	4mo	$114,500	$108	54
520 2nd Ave E	0.10mi	2/1.0 (-1)	1,044 (+12%)	18mo	$170,500	$163	54
417 2nd St St S	0.38mi	3/1.5	1,055 (+13%)	12mo	$78,000	$74	51

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: 18.8%
• Equity multiple: 2.54×
• Total profit: $70,937
• Equity at exit: $148,645

10-year hold

• IRR: 17.4%
• Equity multiple: 5.84×
• Total profit: $223,688
• Equity at exit: $320,559

Cash invested: $46,200 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Iowa: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day pay-or-quit; mostly landlord-friendly statewide.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 52218

• Home prices YoY: 17.5%
• Active inventory: 17
• Price-to-rent: 14.2×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $968 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$865
• Tax from tax record: −$128 /mo · $1,530/yr
• Insurance: −$69
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$203
• Net cashflow: $-297

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,344

Max offer price $112,600

Occupancy floor —

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $-203	-5% $-250	+0% $-297	+5% $-343	+10% $-390
Rent	-10% $-373	-5% $-335	+0% $-297	+5% $-258	+10% $-220
Rate	-1.0pp $-214	-0.5pp $-255	base $-297	+0.5pp $-339	+1.0pp $-383

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: $41,250
• Closing costs: $4,950
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 2 events

1. 2026-06-15
   statusdays on market $165,000 Pending 2 DOM
2. 2026-06-13
   listed $165,000 Active 1 DOM

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

Tax reassessment forecast IA · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,530 · $128/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $2,060 · $172/mo
• Expected delta: +$530/yr (+$44/mo · 34.7%)

ⓘ 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 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥101°F today · 15 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $11,619
• − Mortgage interest: −$9,243
• − Property taxes: −$1,530
• − Insurance: −$825
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$930
• − Management: −$930
• − Depreciation: −$4,800
• Taxable loss: −$6,638
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,593
• After-tax cash flow: $-1,966/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: North Linn Community School District
• NCES district ID: 1920820
• Math proficiency: 73% ▼ -4.00%
• Reading proficiency: 77% ▼ -1.00%
• Median HH income: $60,729
• Composite: 64.53/100
• National rank: #538
• State rank: #62 of 289 in IA

Livability — Coggon

• Score: 76/100
• State rank: #196
• US rank: #3575

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Coggon, IA
• Population (ZIP): 1,700

Population outlook (Linn County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 239,589 people
• By 2030: 248,587 · +3.8%
• By 2040: 264,817 · +10.5%
• By 2050: 278,685 · +16.3%
• By 2075: 311,754 · +30.1%
• By 2100: 336,773 · +40.6%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (99%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 99%
• Common ancestry: Lithuanian 3% Portuguese 3% Iranian 1%
• Foreign-born: 0%
• Languages at home: 99% English-only · Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Linn

• 2024 margin: Lean D (+9.9) · D 54.2% · R 44.3% · Other 1.4%
• 2008→2024 swing: -11.6pp toward R · 2008: 21.5pp · 2024: 9.9pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+9.9 2020: D+13.7 2016: D+9.0 2012: D+17.6 2008: D+21.5

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 36.74%
• Current HPI: 246.4624
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.48%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$16B
▸Retail / Convenience	1	$15B

Price history

+116.8% since first listed

5 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-12 Listed $165,000 CRAAR, CDRMLS
• 2018-05-07 Sold (Public Records) $86,000 Public Records
• 2018-05-04 Sold (MLS) $86,000 CRAAR, CDRMLS
• 2018-03-09 Listed $92,000 CRAAR, CDRMLS
• 2001-11-06 Sold (Public Records) $76,119 Public Records

Property tax history

+0.1%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,530 · -2.3% YoY. Source: county tax records.