173 Elm St

Sprague, WV 25801

$139,000D

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 960 sqft · Built 1978 · SingleFamily · Pending

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,274/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$729
• Tax + insurance: −$86
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$267
• Net cashflow: $191/mo
• Annual: $2,294/yr
• Cap rate: 7.94%
• Cash-on-cash: 5.89%
• DSCR: 1.26
• 1% rule: 0.92%
• Cash to close: $38,920

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $139k.
• 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).
• Only 0 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $127k (8.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• 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.
• 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).
• Raleigh County population projected at -16% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Current owner paid $41k; list at $139k implies a 237% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1978 — 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.
• 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.