550 S Sandusky Ave

Bucyrus, OH 44820

$159,000D

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 2,008 sqft · Built 1900 · SingleFamily · Active · 92 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,319/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$834
• Tax + insurance: −$179
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$277
• Net cashflow: $30/mo
• Annual: $358/yr
• Cap rate: 6.52%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.80%
• DSCR: 1.04
• 1% rule: 0.83%
• Cash to close: $44,520

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $159k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $30 ($358/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 $132k (17.0% below list).
• It's been on market 92 days — a 9% lower offer ($145k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $132k (17.0% 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 78/100 on livability (#158 in OH, #2,388 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment D, amenities F, commute F.
• Bucyrus City (town): math 37% / reading 46% proficiency, ranked #537 of 656 in OH (top 82%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Bucyrus Elementary School (math 48% / reading 42%, grade D-, #984 of 1,584 statewide, top 62%, 544 students, 72% FRL); Bucyrus Middle School (math 28% / reading 44%, grade F, #541 of 654 statewide, top 83%, 272 students, 0% FRL); Bucyrus Secondary School (math 32% / reading 62%, grade D-, #435 of 781 statewide, top 59%, 290 students, 99% FRL) — zoned schools at 57% FRL track the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 81 active listings in the ZIP; 8 units permitted in Crawford County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Crawford County population projected at -22% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Current owner paid $94k; list at $159k implies a 68% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 6.5% vs local median 4.4% in Bucyrus — 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

• It's been on market 92 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 17% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1900 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• 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.