4586 E Berwald Rd

South Euclid, OH 44121

$150,000B-

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,768 sqft · Built 1945 · SingleFamily · Active · 59 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,988/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$787
• Tax + insurance: −$502
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$418
• Net cashflow: $282/mo
• Annual: $3,382/yr
• Cap rate: 8.55%
• Cash-on-cash: 8.05%
• DSCR: 1.36
• 1% rule: 1.33%
• Cash to close: $42,000

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $150k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $282 ($3k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $150k).
• It's been on market 59 days — a 3% lower offer ($146k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $146k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 88/100 on livability (#22 in OH, #207 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: commute A+, cost of living A+, housing A+.
• South Euclid-Lyndhurst City (suburban): math 23% / reading 45% proficiency, ranked #556 of 656 in OH (top 85%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Adrian Elementary School (math 34% / reading 44%, grade F, #1,055 of 1,584 statewide, top 68%, 289 students, 60% FRL); Memorial Junior High School (math 19% / reading 45%, grade F, #559 of 654 statewide, top 87%, 497 students, 51% FRL); Brush High School (math 32% / reading 47%, grade F, #528 of 781 statewide, top 71%, 1,041 students, 44% FRL).
• Watch-outs: property tax is 3.5% of price; built in 1945 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+6.8%/yr); 150 active listings in the ZIP; 18 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 25d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 1,441 units permitted in Cuyahoga County in 2024 (700 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Cuyahoga County population projected to shrink 8% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 6.8% rent growth), your $42k cash investment doubles in ~8 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 8.5% vs local median 5.9% in South Euclid — 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.
• This rent runs 31% of the median local income ($77k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 59 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1945 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
• 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?
• 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.