2258 Hawthorne Ave

Swissvale, PA 15218

$8,500D+

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,080 sqft · Built 1930 · SingleFamily · Active · 131 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,269/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$45
• Tax + insurance: −$14
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$267
• Net cashflow: $944/mo
• Annual: $11,328/yr
• Cap rate: 139.56%
• Cash-on-cash: 475.97%
• DSCR: 22.18
• 1% rule: 14.93%
• Cash to close: $2,380

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $8k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $944 ($11k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $8k).
• It's been on market 131 days — a 12% lower offer ($7k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $7k (12.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $59 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $255 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 84/100 on livability (#95 in PA, #694 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: commute A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: crime C-, amenities D+.
• Woodland Hills SD (suburban): math 13% / reading 30% proficiency, ranked #486 of 539 in PA (top 90%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 69% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Watch-outs: built in 1930 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+6.0%/yr); 80 active listings in the ZIP; 34 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 25d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 2,996 units permitted in Allegheny County in 2024 (1,588 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 4 sale attempts since 3y ago; this cycle's ask has dropped $1k (15%) from the opening price — seller is motivated, your offer sets the floor, not the list.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 6.0% rent growth), your $2k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 139.6% vs local median 6.3% in Swissvale — 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 131 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 12% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1930 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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.
• 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?
• 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.