173 Elm St · Sprague, WV 25801

$139,000

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 960 sqft · SingleFamily public records

Built 1978 0.34 ac lot Est $115k · 21% over

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Why this score? — see what drove the D grade

The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).

• Cash flow +20.8/30.0
• DSCR +6.6/10.0
• 1% rule +4.2/10.0
• Rent growth +3.6/5.0
• Schools +3.0/10.0
• Livability +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• ARV discount +0.0/15.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Great starter home

Key facts

• 0.34 acre lot
• Built 1978

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $139k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $191 ($2k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $127k (8.4% below list).
• Recommended offer: $127k (8.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads: area grade D — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Raleigh County Schools (rural): math 29% / reading 42% proficiency, ranked #14 of 55 in WV (top 26%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Cranberry-Prosperity Elementary (math 27% / reading 32%, grade F, #225 of 377 statewide, top 68%, 257 students, 0% FRL); Beckley-Stratton Middle School (math 14% / reading 27%, grade F, #102 of 109 statewide, top 94%, 674 students, 0% FRL); Woodrow Wilson High School (math 24% / reading 56%, grade F, #20 of 110 statewide, top 17%, 1,330 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 46% district-wide (46 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+4.2%/yr); 112 active listings in the ZIP; 41 units permitted in Raleigh County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $961 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Raleigh County population projected at -16% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.

Negotiation context

• Only 0 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Current owner paid $41k; list at $139k implies a 237% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Recommended offer $127,368 (8.4% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1978 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 0.92% ✗
• Cap rate: 7.94%
• Cash-on-cash: 5.89%
• DSCR: 1.26
• GRM: 9.1

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $115,200
• Comps found: 12

Show comp detail 12 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
323 Hubbard St	0.11mi	3/1.0	976 (+2%)	5mo	$97,000	$99	88
109 Caldwell St	0.23mi	3/2.0	1,000 (+4%)	13mo	$93,000	$93	68
222 Mcberry St	0.36mi	2/1.0 (-1)	950 (-1%)	11mo	$115,000	$121	68
207 A Murray St	0.26mi	3/1.0	1,008 (+5%)	15mo	$135,000	$134	67
541 Orchard Ave	0.47mi	2/1.0 (-1)	939 (-2%)	10mo	$100,000	$106	61
327 VINE Beckley, Wv 25801 St	0.65mi	2/1.0 (-1)	1,008 (+5%)	0mo	$106,000	$105	56
359 Canterbury Dr	0.67mi	3/1.0	960 (0%)	15mo	$158,000	$165	56
303 Orchard Ave	0.71mi	2/1.0 (-1)	960 (0%)	8mo	$116,800	$122	55
214 Saunders Ave	0.54mi	3/2.0	1,056 (+10%)	9mo	$86,000	$81	46
405 Orchard Ave	0.63mi	2/1.0 (-1)	1,002 (+4%)	15mo	$105,000	$105	46
405 Vine St	0.65mi	3/1.0	1,070 (+12%)	8mo	$162,900	$152	44
207 Orchard Ave	0.74mi	2/1.0 (-1)	1,078 (+12%)	12mo	$129,500	$120	30

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 4.25% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: -6.0%
• Equity multiple: 0.77×
• Total profit: $-8,798
• Equity at exit: $20,725

10-year hold

• IRR: 4.9%
• Equity multiple: 1.37×
• Total profit: $14,557
• Equity at exit: $12,018

Cash invested: $38,920 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State West Virginia: 83 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+22
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Landlord-favorable; preempted; minimal protections.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 25801

• Home prices YoY: -17.8%
• Rents YoY: 4.2%
• Active inventory: 112
• Price-to-rent: 9.1×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,274 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$729
• Tax from tax record: −$28 /mo · $338/yr
• Insurance: −$58
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$267
• Net cashflow: $191

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,032

Max offer price $139,000

Occupancy floor 80%

UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt

Financing live

Cash to close

• Down payment: $34,750
• Closing costs: $4,170
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 1 events

1. 1980-11-15
   soldstatus $41,250

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast WV · Resets to sale price

• Current annual tax: $338 · $28/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $820 · $68/mo
• Expected delta: +$482/yr (+$40/mo · 142.3%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 2/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥92°F today · 20 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 1/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $15,284
• − Mortgage interest: −$7,786
• − Property taxes: −$338
• − Insurance: −$695
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,223
• − Management: −$1,223
• − Depreciation: −$4,044
• Taxable loss: −$25
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$6
• After-tax cash flow: $2,300/yr

For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Raleigh County Schools
• NCES district ID: 5401230
• Math proficiency: 29% ▼ -8.00%
• Reading proficiency: 42% ▼ -3.00%
• Median HH income: $39,828
• Composite: 29.74/100
• National rank: #6445
• State rank: #14 of 55 in WV

Livability — Sprague

No livability data for this city. (Only ~50 U.S. cities are tracked.)

Census & demographics

• Census place: Sprague, WV
• County: Raleigh County · 31,128 people
• City population: 31,128
• Metro: Beckley, WV
• Population (ZIP): 31,128
• Household income: $56,836
• Rent vs Own: 33.1% rent · 66.9% own
• Severe rent burden: 1384.0

Population outlook (Raleigh County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 73,505 people
• By 2030: 70,954 · -3.5%
• By 2040: 66,038 · -10.2%
• By 2050: 61,919 · -15.8%
• By 2075: 51,954 · -29.3%
• By 2100: 39,724 · -46.0%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (81%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 81% Black 10% Two or more races 7% Hispanic / Latino 2% Asian 2%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 2% Italian 1% Lithuanian 1%
• Foreign-born: 2% · Canada
• Languages at home: 96% English-only · Spanish 2% Other Indo-European 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Raleigh

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+54.3) · D 22.0% · R 76.3% · Other 1.6%
• 2008→2024 swing: -28.5pp toward R · 2008: -25.9pp · 2024: -54.3pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+54.3 2020: R+50.4 2016: R+52.8 2012: R+44.6 2008: R+25.9

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -45.60%
• Current HPI: 210.0114
• Rent YoY: ▲ 4.25%
• Metro: Beckley, WV
• State GDP YoY: —
• F500 in state: 0

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 1980-11-15 Sold (Public Records) $41,250 Public Records

Property tax history

+1.6%/yr

Latest (2025): $338 · +30.8% YoY. Source: county tax records.