320 W Benton St · Mount Carroll, IL 61053

$129,900

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,496 sqft · Other public records · 17 Days on market

Built 1978 0.84 ac lot

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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).

• Appreciation +9.1/10.0
• Cash flow +8.9/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• 1% rule +4.0/10.0
• Livability +3.4/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• DSCR +2.4/10.0
• Schools +1.4/10.0

Listing remarks

3-bedroom, 1 bath modular home featuring a sunroom overlooking a spacious 3/4-acre lot complete with a storage shed and an asparagus bed, red raspberries and concord grapes. The main level offers an open floor plan for comfortable living, and entertaining space. The basement provides extra storage and plenty of room for future expansion and leads directly to the 2-car heated garage. There is also plenty of room under the sunroom for another 2 cars. All in a great location on the edge of town. Note: This is home and parcel on Benton and vacant lot on Geneva

Key facts

• Open floor plan
• Heated garage
• Storage shed

Tags

• SUNROOM OVERLOOKING LOT
• STORAGE SHED
• OPEN FLOOR PLAN
• HEATED GARAGE

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: 2-car garage
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-family residence (house); Residential property
• Exterior features: Shingle roof; 0.84-acre lot

Interior

• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating (natural gas); Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Water softener; Gas water heater; Full basement

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath other listed at $130k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-106 ($-1k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $111k (14.4% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $117k (9.7% below list).
• Recommended offer: $111k (14.4% below list) — sets the bar for cash-flow.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 67/100 on livability (#513 in IL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, crime B; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety F.
• West Carroll CUSD 314 (rural): math 12% / reading 20% proficiency, ranked #498 of 620 in IL (top 80%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: West Carroll Primary (math 12% / reading 17%, grade F, #1,278 of 2,056 statewide, top 65%, 416 students, 0% FRL); West Carroll Middle School (math 10% / reading 24%, grade F, #460 of 665 statewide, top 72%, 193 students, 0% FRL); West Carroll High School (math 15% / reading 15%, grade F, #462 of 693 statewide, top 68%, 286 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 50% district-wide (50 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Market conditions: 21 active listings in the ZIP; 23 units permitted in Carroll County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $12k of equity ($898 loan paydown + $11k appreciation (8.2% local appreciation)).
• Carroll County population projected at -30% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• By year 4, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$40k 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 ($128k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: property tax is 2.7% of price.

Recommended offer $111,230 (14.4% 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 1978 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
4. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
5. Schools are F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
6. 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?
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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: 0.90% ✗
• Cap rate: 5.32%
• Cash-on-cash: -3.49%
• DSCR: 0.84
• GRM: 9.2

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

8.19% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 17.8%
• Equity multiple: 2.33×
• Total profit: $48,424
• Equity at exit: $100,330

10-year hold

• IRR: 16.9%
• Equity multiple: 5.01×
• Total profit: $145,777
• Equity at exit: $200,741

Cash invested: $36,372 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning
• State Illinois: 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning · D+7
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Chicago RTLO is among the strongest tenant ordinances in the Midwest; downstate is more landlord-friendly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 61053

• Home prices YoY: 5.4%
• Active inventory: 21
• Price-to-rent: 9.2×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,173 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$681
• Tax from tax record: −$297 /mo · $3,566/yr
• Insurance: −$54
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$246
• Net cashflow: $-106

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,307

Max offer price $111,230

Occupancy floor —

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $-32	-5% $-69	+0% $-106	+5% $-142	+10% $-179
Rent	-10% $-198	-5% $-152	+0% $-106	+5% $-59	+10% $-13
Rate	-1.0pp $-40	-0.5pp $-73	base $-106	+0.5pp $-139	+1.0pp $-174

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: $32,475
• Closing costs: $3,897
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 6 events

1. 2026-06-03
   status $129,900 Pending 17 DOM
2. 2026-06-02
   days on market $129,900 Active 17 DOM
3. 2026-06-01
   days on market $129,900 Active 16 DOM
4. 2026-05-31
   days on market $129,900 Active 15 DOM
5. 2026-05-30
   days on market $129,900 Active 14 DOM
6. 2026-05-16
   listed $129,900 Active

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

Tax reassessment forecast IL · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $3,566 · $297/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $3,566 · $297/mo
• Expected delta: $0/yr ($0/mo · 0.0%)

ⓘ 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 ≥102°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 1 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,078
• − Mortgage interest: −$7,276
• − Property taxes: −$3,566
• − Insurance: −$650
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,126
• − Management: −$1,126
• − Depreciation: −$3,779
• Taxable loss: −$3,445
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$827
• After-tax cash flow: $-441/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: West Carroll CUSD 314
• NCES district ID: 1700310
• Math proficiency: 12% ▼ -5.00%
• Reading proficiency: 20% ▼ -3.00%
• Median HH income: $43,090
• Composite: 13.91/100
• National rank: #9483
• State rank: #498 of 620 in IL

Livability — Mount Carroll

• Score: 67/100
• State rank: #513
• US rank: #10633

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Mount Carroll, IL
• Population (ZIP): 2,902

Population outlook (Carroll County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 13,010 people
• By 2030: 12,150 · -6.6%
• By 2040: 10,462 · -19.6%
• By 2050: 9,078 · -30.2%
• By 2075: 6,704 · -48.5%
• By 2100: 5,004 · -61.5%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (94%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 94% Two or more races 3% Hispanic / Latino 3% Asian 1%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 2% Lithuanian 2% Portuguese 2%
• Foreign-born: 1%
• Languages at home: 90% English-only · German/W. Germanic 8% Other Indo-European 1% Spanish 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Carroll

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+31.7) · D 33.2% · R 64.8% · Other 2.0%
• 2008→2024 swing: -36.5pp toward R · 2008: 4.8pp · 2024: -31.7pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+31.7 2020: R+29.4 2016: R+27.1 2012: D+1.4 2008: D+4.8

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 8.19%
• Current HPI: 160.8203
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.59%
• F500 in state: 60

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Insurance	4	$201B
▸Consumer Goods	4	$87B
▸Industrial Machinery	3	$64B
▸Healthcare	2	$55B
▸Retail / Pharmacy	1	$148B
▸Agriculture / Food	1	$86B

Price history

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-02 Pending — NWIAR
• 2026-05-16 Listed $129,900 NWIAR

Property tax history

+6.6%/yr

Latest (2024): $3,566 · +3.2% YoY. Source: county tax records.