604 16th St

Spirit Lake, IA 51360

$179,000C

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 824 sqft · Built 1900 · SingleFamily · Pending · 25 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,525/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$939
• Tax + insurance: −$148
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$320
• Net cashflow: $118/mo
• Annual: $1,416/yr
• Cap rate: 7.08%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.82%
• DSCR: 1.13
• 1% rule: 0.85%
• Cash to close: $50,120

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $179k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $118 ($1k/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 $152k (14.8% below list).
• It's been on market 25 days — a 2% lower offer ($176k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $152k (14.8% 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 81/100 on livability (#69 in IA, #1,522 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: schools A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Spirit Lake Community School District (town): math 73% / reading 78% proficiency, ranked #59 of 289 in IA (top 20%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 143 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 295 units permitted in Dickinson County in 2024 (16 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Dickinson County population projected at +12% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• Cap rate 7.1% vs local median 1.6% in Spirit Lake — 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 1900 — 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 A-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?
• 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.