304 E Franklin St

St. Paul, IN 47272

$39,000B-

1 bd · 1.0 ba · 997 sqft · Built 1900 · SingleFamily · Active · 54 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $879/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$205
• Tax + insurance: −$96
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$185
• Net cashflow: $394/mo
• Annual: $4,733/yr
• Cap rate: 18.43%
• Cash-on-cash: 43.34%
• DSCR: 2.93
• 1% rule: 2.25%
• Cash to close: $10,920

Investor read

• This is a 1-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $39k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $394 ($5k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($879 rent vs $39k).
• It's been on market 54 days — a 3% lower offer ($38k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $38k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $270 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $1k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads: area grade B — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Decatur County Community Schools (rural): math 39% / reading 48% proficiency, ranked #107 of 301 in IN (top 36%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Watch-outs: built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 3 active listings in the ZIP; 66 units permitted in Decatur County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Decatur County population projected at +6% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• 2 sale attempts with the ask held roughly flat each time — persistent listings suggest the price (not the market) is what's stuck; bring a comps-based counter.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $11k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 54 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• 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.
• 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.