420 Clark St

Cherokee, IA 51012

$160,000D+

4 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,779 sqft · Built 1880 · SingleFamily · Pending · 20 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,245/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$839
• Tax + insurance: −$135
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$261
• Net cashflow: $10/mo
• Annual: $116/yr
• Cap rate: 6.37%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.26%
• DSCR: 1.01
• 1% rule: 0.78%
• Cash to close: $44,800

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/2.5-bath single-family listed at $160k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $10 ($116/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $124k (22.2% below list).
• It's been on market 20 days — a 2% lower offer ($158k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $124k (22.2% 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 $5k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 80/100 on livability (#83 in IA, #1,698 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment D+, amenities F, commute F.
• Cherokee Community School District (town): math 65% / reading 67% proficiency, ranked #191 of 289 in IA (top 66%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Cherokee Elementary School (math 57% / reading 52%, grade C, #462 of 616 statewide, top 79%, 492 students, 43% FRL); Cherokee Middle School (math 65% / reading 64%, grade A-, #157 of 246 statewide, top 67%, 355 students, 42% FRL); Washington High School (math 69% / reading 81%, grade A-, #86 of 336 statewide, top 26%, 353 students, 33% FRL).
• Watch-outs: built in 1880 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 44 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 10 units permitted in Cherokee County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Cherokee County population projected at -23% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wildfire risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 6.4% vs local median 4.9% in Cherokee — 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

• Built in 1880 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.