137 Whitner Dr

Hazel Green, AL 35750

$264,400D

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,667 sqft · Built — · SingleFamily · Active · 65 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,764/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,387
• Tax + insurance: −$441
• HOA: −$17
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$370
• Net cashflow: $-451/mo
• Annual: $-5,407/yr
• Cap rate: 4.25%
• Cash-on-cash: -7.30%
• DSCR: 0.68
• 1% rule: 0.67%
• Cash to close: $74,032

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $264k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-451 ($-5k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $199k (24.7% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $176k (33.3% below list).
• It's been on market 65 days — a 6% lower offer ($249k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $176k (33.3% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• In year one you build about $28k of equity ($2k loan paydown + $26k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 69/100 on livability (#54 in AL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, crime A; Watch: amenities F, commute F, employment F.
• Madison County (rural): math 27% / reading 56% proficiency, ranked #19 of 129 in AL (top 15%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Hazel Green Elementary School (math 23% / reading 58%, grade F, #238 of 627 statewide, top 38%, 738 students, 50% FRL); Moores Mill Intermediate School (math 42% / reading 66%, grade B-, #20 of 257 statewide, top 8%, 840 students, 46% FRL); Hazel Green High School (math 23% / reading 31%, grade F, #90 of 305 statewide, top 35%, 1,348 students, 42% FRL) — zoned schools average 46% FRL vs 29% district-wide (17 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: 260 active listings in the ZIP; 20 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 26d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 4,709 units permitted in Madison County in 2024 (1,186 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Madison County population projected at +18% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• By year 2, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$45k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
• This rent runs 31% of the median local income ($68k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• What do current leases actually rent for vs. the listed asking? Can we see a recent rent roll and the last 12 months of T-12 income?
• It's been on market 65 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 33% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• 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.