259 Emerald Dr · Big Spring, MD 25419

$225,000

3 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,056 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 11 Days on market

Built 1978 0.90 ac lot Est $174k · 29% over

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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).

• Cash flow +16.5/30.0
• DSCR +5.1/10.0
• 1% rule +3.3/10.0
• Schools +2.6/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Livability +2.0/5.0
• ARV discount +0.0/15.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Located in the Potomac Hills subdivision of Falling Waters, this ranch-style HUD-owned home offers a great opportunity for owner occupants or investors alike. Situated on approximately 0.90 acres, the property features 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath, and approximately 1,056 square feet of living space. The spacious lot provides ample outdoor space for recreation, gardening, or future improvements. Conveniently located with access to major commuter routes, shopping, and amenities while still offering a more rural setting. Property sold strictly as-is. HUD Case #571-076473. Insurability Status: IE (Insured Escrow). All offers must be submitted through HUDHomestore.com. Property Condition Report is a

Key facts

• More rural setting
• Spacious lot
• 0.9 acre lot

Tags

• POTOMAC HILLS SUBDIVISION
• APPROXIMATELY 0.90 ACRES
• SPACIOUS LOT
• MORE RURAL SETTING

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: Off-street parking
• Utilities: Well water; On-site septic
• Home design: Detached single-family home; Above-grade finished living area per assessor
• Construction: Vinyl siding and block construction; Block foundation; Above grade and below grade structures
• Exterior features: Located outside city limits

Interior

• Bedrooms: Three bedrooms on the main level
• Bathrooms: One full bathroom on the main level; One full bathroom total
• Heating & cooling: Baseboard electric heat; Central air conditioning; Electric hot water
• Interior features: Not furnished; Walkout, unfinished basement with outside entrance and interior connecting stairway

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $225k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $132 ($2k/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 $186k (17.4% below list).
• Recommended offer: $186k (17.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 39/100 on livability (#499 in MD) — a limited-amenity area; tenant pool skews transient or value-seeking. Strengths: crime A, cost of living A-; Watch: schools D, amenities F, commute F.
• Berkeley County Schools (other): math 21% / reading 38% proficiency, ranked #24 of 55 in WV (top 44%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Market conditions: Solid renter incomes; 1,460 units permitted in Berkeley County in 2024 (16 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $7k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Berkeley County population projected at +25% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.

Negotiation context

• Only 11 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→15/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $185,901 (17.4% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1978 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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?
4. 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?
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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: 0.83% ✗
• Cap rate: 7.00%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.52%
• DSCR: 1.11
• GRM: 10.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $174,240
• Comps found: 1

Show comp detail 1 sale within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
740 Emerson Dr	0.14mi	2/2.0 (-1)	980 (-7%)	1mo	$162,000	$165	74

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

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: -12.4%
• Equity multiple: 0.55×
• Total profit: $-28,148
• Equity at exit: $33,548

10-year hold

• IRR: -3.4%
• Equity multiple: 0.78×
• Total profit: $-14,103
• Equity at exit: $19,454

Cash invested: $63,000 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 27 Tenant-Leaning
• State Maryland: 27 Tenant-Leaning · D+14
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Failure-to-pay is dismissed if cured before judgment; Baltimore has just-cause; strict deposit rules.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 25419

• Home prices YoY: -13.1%
• Price-to-rent: 10.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,859 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,180
• Tax from tax record: −$63 /mo · $753/yr
• Insurance: −$94
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$390
• Net cashflow: $132

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,692

Max offer price $225,000

Occupancy floor 88%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $260	-5% $196	+0% $132	+5% $68	+10% $5
Rent	-10% $-15	-5% $59	+0% $132	+5% $206	+10% $279
Rate	-1.0pp $245	-0.5pp $189	base $132	+0.5pp $74	+1.0pp $15

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: $56,250
• Closing costs: $6,750
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 6 events

1. 2026-06-14
   status $225,000 Pending 11 DOM
2. 2026-06-02
   days on market $225,000 Active 11 DOM
3. 2026-06-01
   days on market $225,000 Active 10 DOM
4. 2026-05-31
   days on market $225,000 Active 9 DOM
5. 2026-05-30
   days on market $225,000 Active 8 DOM
6. 2026-05-22
   listed $225,000 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 MD · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $753 · $63/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,603 · $134/mo
• Expected delta: +$850/yr (+$71/mo · 112.8%)

ⓘ 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 3/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 5/10 Major 7 d/yr ≥103°F today · 15 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low 2% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $22,308
• − Mortgage interest: −$12,603
• − Property taxes: −$753
• − Insurance: −$1,125
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,785
• − Management: −$1,785
• − Depreciation: −$6,545
• Taxable loss: −$2,288
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$549
• After-tax cash flow: $2,135/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: Berkeley County Schools
• NCES district ID: 5400060
• Math proficiency: 21% ▼ -12.00%
• Reading proficiency: 38% ▼ -6.00%
• Median HH income: $54,599
• Composite: 26.16/100
• National rank: #7273
• State rank: #24 of 55 in WV

Livability — Big Spring

• Score: 39/100
• State rank: #499
• US rank: #27390

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• County: Berkeley County
• Metro: Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
• Population (ZIP): 13,201
• Household income: $89,284
• Rent vs Own: 18.9% rent · 81.1% own
• Severe rent burden: 142.0

Population outlook (Berkeley County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 127,359 people
• By 2030: 134,684 · +5.8%
• By 2040: 148,219 · +16.4%
• By 2050: 159,300 · +25.1%
• By 2075: 179,920 · +41.3%
• By 2100: 183,896 · +44.4%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (83%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 83% Black 10% Two or more races 5% Asian 2% Hispanic / Latino 2%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 3% Serbian 3% Lithuanian 2%
• Foreign-born: 3%
• Languages at home: 95% English-only · Spanish 2% Other Indo-European 1% Other Asian/Pacific 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Berkeley

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+35.8) · D 31.2% · R 67.0% · Other 1.8%
• 2008→2024 swing: -22.8pp toward R · 2008: -13.0pp · 2024: -35.8pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+35.8 2020: R+31.2 2016: R+37.2 2012: R+21.3 2008: R+13.0

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -27.84%
• Current HPI: 184.0467
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.97%
• F500 in state: 12

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in MD)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Aerospace / Defense	1	$71B
▸Utilities	1	$25B
▸Hotels	1	$24B
▸Consumer Goods	1	$7B
▸Real Estate	1	$6B
▸Chemicals	1	$2B

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 2026-05-22 Listed $225,000 BRIGHT MLS

Property tax history

+1.5%/yr

Latest (2025): $753 · +2.3% YoY. Source: county tax records.