1995 Columbia Rd

Westlake, OH 44145

$300,000D-

4 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,248 sqft · Built 1952 · SingleFamily · Active · 6 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,520/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,573
• Tax + insurance: −$481
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$529
• Net cashflow: $-63/mo
• Annual: $-752/yr
• Cap rate: 6.04%
• Cash-on-cash: -0.89%
• DSCR: 0.96
• 1% rule: 0.84%
• Cash to close: $84,000

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $300k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-63 ($-752/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $289k (3.7% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $252k (16.0% below list).
• Only 6 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $252k (16.0% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $9k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 82/100 on livability (#79 in OH, #1,202 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Westlake City (suburban): math 71% / reading 79% proficiency, ranked #76 of 656 in OH (top 12%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 15% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Zoned schools: Westlake Elementary School (math 80% / reading 75%, grade A, #213 of 1,584 statewide, top 14%, 1,217 students, 15% FRL); Lee Burneson Middle School (math 75% / reading 83%, grade A+, #54 of 654 statewide, top 9%, 498 students, 16% FRL); Westlake High School (math 56% / reading 81%, grade B, #130 of 781 statewide, top 17%, 1,066 students, 15% FRL) — zoned schools at 16% FRL track the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1952 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+2.3%/yr); 166 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; high-income renter base; 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.
• Current owner paid $82k; list at $300k implies a 264% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 6.0% vs local median 3.4% in Westlake — 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

• 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?
• Built in 1952 — 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.
• Schools are A-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?
• 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.