20426 Almar Dr

Shaker Heights, OH 44122

$215,000D

4 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,561 sqft · Built 1925 · SingleFamily · Pending · 19 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,092/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,127
• Tax + insurance: −$764
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$439
• Net cashflow: $-239/mo
• Annual: $-2,863/yr
• Cap rate: 4.96%
• Cash-on-cash: -4.76%
• DSCR: 0.79
• 1% rule: 0.97%
• Cash to close: $60,200

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $215k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-239 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $173k (19.6% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $209k (2.7% below list).
• It's been on market 19 days — a 2% lower offer ($212k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $173k (19.6% 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 (#15 in OH, #134 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, commute A+, employment A+; Watch: amenities F.
• Shaker Heights City (suburban): math 50% / reading 63% proficiency, ranked #309 of 656 in OH (top 47%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Mercer Elementary School (math 62% / reading 57%, grade B-, #670 of 1,584 statewide, top 45%, 307 students, 27% FRL); Shaker Hts Middle School (math 49% / reading 56%, grade C+, #378 of 654 statewide, top 59%, 651 students, 30% FRL); Shaker Hts High School (math 34% / reading 70%, grade D+, #343 of 781 statewide, top 47%, 1,498 students, 24% FRL) — zoned schools at 27% FRL track the district average.
• Watch-outs: property tax is 3.8% of price; built in 1925 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+1.1%/yr); 183 active listings in the ZIP; 37 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 18d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 1,441 units permitted in Cuyahoga County in 2024 (700 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Cuyahoga County population projected to shrink 8% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• 3 sale attempts since 34y 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.
• Cap rate 5.0% vs local median 2.5% in Shaker Heights — 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

• 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?
• Built in 1925 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
• 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.