216 W Bertsch St

Lansford, PA 18232

$129,900B+

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,963 sqft · Built 1926 · MultiFamily · Pending · 6 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,600/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$681
• Tax + insurance: −$207
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$756
• Net cashflow: $1,955/mo
• Annual: $23,464/yr
• Cap rate: 24.36%
• Cash-on-cash: 64.51%
• DSCR: 3.87
• 1% rule: 2.77%
• Cash to close: $36,372

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath multifamily listed at $130k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $2k ($23k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($4k rent vs $130k).
• Only 6 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• In year one you build about $13k of equity ($898 loan paydown + $12k appreciation (9.1% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 72/100 on livability (#605 in PA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, health & safety A+, crime A-; Watch: amenities D, schools F, commute F.
• Panther Valley SD (rural): math 14% / reading 35% proficiency, ranked #477 of 539 in PA (top 88%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Watch-outs: built in 1926 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 34 active listings in the ZIP; 6 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 45d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 83% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; lower-income renter base — watch delinquency; 180 units permitted in Carbon County in 2024 (10 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Carbon County population projected at -18% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Current owner paid $18k; list at $130k implies a 642% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• At projected returns (9.1% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $36k cash investment doubles in ~2 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• By year 3, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$32k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
• Cap rate 24.4% vs local median 9.5% in Lansford — 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.
• At $3,600/mo this rent would consume 97% of the median local household income ($45k/yr) (locally 123% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1926 — 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 F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
• 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 apartment / multifamily construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply (>2% of stock underway) typically softens rents 12–24 months out; light construction supports rent growth.