2100 LINWOOD Ave Unit 17N

Fort Lee, NJ 07024

$199,000D

1 bd · 1.0 ba · 860 sqft · Built — · Condo · Under Contract · 19 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,869/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,044
• Tax + insurance: −$332
• HOA: −$1,054
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$603
• Net cashflow: $-162/mo
• Annual: $-1,948/yr
• Cap rate: 5.31%
• Cash-on-cash: -3.50%
• DSCR: 0.84
• 1% rule: 1.44%
• Cash to close: $55,720

Investor read

• This is a 1-bed/1.0-bath condo listed at $199k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-162 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $176k (11.8% below list).
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($3k rent vs $199k).
• It's been on market 19 days — a 2% lower offer ($196k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $176k (11.8% below list) — sets the bar for cash-flow.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $6k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 89/100 on livability (#2 in NJ, #139 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: amenities A+, commute A+, employment A+; Watch: cost of living F.
• Fort Lee School District (suburban): math 46% / reading 63% proficiency, ranked #105 of 472 in NJ (top 22%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease; only 12% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Zoned schools: School No. 2 (math 52% / reading 57%, grade C, #176 of 1,303 statewide, top 15%, 357 students, 15% FRL); Lewis F. Cole Middle School (math 43% / reading 64%, grade C+, #77 of 431 statewide, top 18%, 1,194 students, 16% FRL); Fort Lee High School (math 35% / reading 66%, grade D+, #101 of 399 statewide, top 26%, 1,160 students, 12% FRL) — zoned schools at 14% FRL track the district average.
• Watch-outs: HOA is 37% of rent.
• Market conditions: Rents flat; 207 active listings in the ZIP; 39 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 24d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 3,488 units permitted in Bergen County in 2024 (1,610 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Bergen County population projected at +20% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 4 sale attempts since 5y ago 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.
• Current owner paid $128k; list at $199k implies a 55% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 27% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 6→13/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 5.3% vs local median 1.5% in Fort Lee — 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 32% of the median local income ($107k/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?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• Any open or pending special assessments — roof, HVAC, plumbing, elevator, façade? What's the per-unit balance and payoff schedule, and is the seller paying it off at close or rolling it to the buyer?
• 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.