320 Braig Rd #40

Columbia Falls, MT 59912

$75,000B

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 952 sqft · Built 1994 · SingleFamily · Active · 44 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,592/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$393
• Tax + insurance: −$125
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$334
• Net cashflow: $740/mo
• Annual: $8,874/yr
• Cap rate: 18.13%
• Cash-on-cash: 42.26%
• DSCR: 2.88
• 1% rule: 2.12%
• Cash to close: $21,000

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $75k. Condition is rated good.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $740 ($9k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $75k).
• It's been on market 44 days — a 3% lower offer ($73k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $73k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $519 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 68/100 on livability (#96 in MT) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A; Watch: employment D, amenities F, commute F.
• Columbia Falls H S (town): math 25% / reading 40% proficiency, ranked #198 of 339 in MT (top 58%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Ruder Elementary (math 43% / reading 48%, grade D-, #116 of 293 statewide, top 39%, 563 students, 0% FRL); Columbia Falls Jr Hs (math 29% / reading 49%, grade F, #72 of 146 statewide, top 49%, 526 students, 0% FRL); Columbia Falls High Schl (math 22% / reading 37%, grade F, #70 of 132 statewide, top 55%, 687 students, 0% FRL).
• Market conditions: 168 active listings in the ZIP; solid renter incomes; 281 units permitted in Flathead County in 2024 (80 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Flathead County population projected at +20% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $21k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Climate carrying-cost: moderate flood risk; moderate wildfire risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 18.1% vs local median 1.3% in Columbia Falls — 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 44 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• 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.