2517 State Highway 17 Hwy · Viola, IL 61486

$149,900

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,404 sqft · Other public records

Built 1913 5.00 ac lot

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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 +11.0/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Appreciation +7.0/10.0
• Livability +3.3/5.0
• DSCR +3.2/10.0
• Schools +2.7/10.0
• 1% rule +2.5/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0

Listing remarks MLS

This property is eligible under Freddie Mac First Look initiative through 9/19/14. Investors eligible 9/20/14. $1000 earnest money in form of a CASHIER'S CHECK along with pre-approval saying appraisal will be completed AS-IS must accompany all offers. LBP will be provided with acceptable offer.

Key facts

• 5 acre lot
• Garage
• Built 1913

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/2.0-bath other listed at $150k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-64 ($-769/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $139k (7.5% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $113k (24.6% below list).
• Recommended offer: $113k (24.6% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 66/100 on livability (#593 in IL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, health & safety F.
• Sherrard CUSD 200 (rural): math 29% / reading 30% proficiency, ranked #240 of 620 in IL (top 39%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Matherville Intermediate School (math 27% / reading 22%, grade F, #332 of 665 statewide, top 55%, 190 students, 0% FRL); Sherrard High School (math 27% / reading 27%, grade F, #218 of 693 statewide, top 35%, 451 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 25% district-wide (25 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Market conditions: 7 active listings in the ZIP; 15 units permitted in Mercer County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $7k of equity ($1k loan paydown + $6k appreciation (4.0% local appreciation)).
• Mercer County population projected at -25% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (4.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $42k cash investment doubles in ~6 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• By year 5, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$30k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• Only 0 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 4 sale attempts since 22y 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.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1913 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $113,077 (24.6% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. 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?
2. Built in 1913 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. Schools are D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
5. 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?
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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: 0.75% ✗
• Cap rate: 5.78%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.83%
• DSCR: 0.92
• GRM: 11.0

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

3.95% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 8.5%
• Equity multiple: 1.51×
• Total profit: $21,602
• Equity at exit: $75,546

10-year hold

• IRR: 10.6%
• Equity multiple: 2.75×
• Total profit: $73,513
• Equity at exit: $123,200

Cash invested: $41,972 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning
• State Illinois: 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning · D+7
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Chicago RTLO is among the strongest tenant ordinances in the Midwest; downstate is more landlord-friendly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 61486

• Home prices YoY: 2.5%
• Active inventory: 7
• Price-to-rent: 11.0×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,131 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$786
• Tax from tax record: −$109 /mo · $1,306/yr
• Insurance: −$62
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$237
• Net cashflow: $-64

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,212

Max offer price $138,583

Occupancy floor —

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $21	-5% $-22	+0% $-64	+5% $-106	+10% $-149
Rent	-10% $-153	-5% $-109	+0% $-64	+5% $-19	+10% $25
Rate	-1.0pp $11	-0.5pp $-26	base $-64	+0.5pp $-103	+1.0pp $-142

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: $37,475
• Closing costs: $4,497
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 18 events

1. 2026-05-24
   status Pending
2. 2026-05-24
   status Pending
3. 2026-05-23
   status Pending
4. 2026-04-14
   soldstatus $135,000 Closed
5. 2026-04-14
   soldstatus $135,000 Closed
6. 2026-04-14
   soldstatus $135,000 Closed
7. 2026-04-14
   soldstatus $135,000 Closed
8. 2025-10-28
   status Pending
9. 2025-10-28
   historical
10. 2025-10-28
    historical
11. 2025-10-23
    listed $149,900
12. 2025-10-23
    listed Active
13. 2014-11-13
    soldstatus $32,000 295-char remark

    Show marketing remark (295 chars)

    This property is eligible under Freddie Mac First Look initiative through 9/19/14. Investors eligible 9/20/14. $1000 earnest money in form of a CASHIER'S CHECK along with pre-approval saying appraisal will be completed AS-IS must accompany all offers. LBP will be provided with acceptable offer.

14. 2014-11-13
    soldstatus $32,000

    Show marketing remark (295 chars)

    This property is eligible under Freddie Mac First Look initiative through 9/19/14. Investors eligible 9/20/14. $1000 earnest money in form of a CASHIER'S CHECK along with pre-approval saying appraisal will be completed AS-IS must accompany all offers. LBP will be provided with acceptable offer.

15. 2014-09-09
    listed $32,900 295-char remark

    Show marketing remark (295 chars)

    This property is eligible under Freddie Mac First Look initiative through 9/19/14. Investors eligible 9/20/14. $1000 earnest money in form of a CASHIER'S CHECK along with pre-approval saying appraisal will be completed AS-IS must accompany all offers. LBP will be provided with acceptable offer.

16. 2005-05-03
    soldstatus $70,200
17. 2005-04-22
    soldstatus $66,000
18. 2004-08-31
    listed $70,000

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

Tax reassessment forecast IL · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,306 · $109/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $2,354 · $196/mo
• Expected delta: +$1,048/yr (+$87/mo · 80.3%)

ⓘ 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 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥104°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 2 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $13,569
• − Mortgage interest: −$8,397
• − Property taxes: −$1,306
• − Insurance: −$750
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,086
• − Management: −$1,086
• − Depreciation: −$4,361
• Taxable loss: −$3,415
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$820
• After-tax cash flow: $51/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: Sherrard CUSD 200
• NCES district ID: 1736180
• Math proficiency: 29% ▼ -9.00%
• Reading proficiency: 30% ▼ -16.00%
• Median HH income: $60,194
• Composite: 26.77/100
• National rank: #7129
• State rank: #240 of 620 in IL

Livability — Viola

• Score: 66/100
• State rank: #593
• US rank: #12280

Category grades

Amenities F Commute F Cost of living A+ Crime A+ Employment B- Housing A+ Health & safety F User ratings A

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Population (ZIP): 1,429

Population outlook (Mercer County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 14,595 people
• By 2030: 13,846 · -5.1%
• By 2040: 12,335 · -15.5%
• By 2050: 10,893 · -25.4%
• By 2075: 8,238 · -43.6%
• By 2100: 6,111 · -58.1%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (85%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 85% Two or more races 10% Hispanic / Latino 8%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 7%
• Common ancestry: English 3% Italian 2% Serbian 1%
• Foreign-born: 3% · Canada
• Languages at home: 93% English-only · Spanish 4% Russian/Polish/Slavic 2%

Political lean MEDSL · Mercer

• 2024 margin: Strong R (+27.1) · D 35.4% · R 62.5% · Other 2.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -39.0pp toward R · 2008: 11.9pp · 2024: -27.1pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+27.1 2020: R+24.0 2016: R+20.7 2012: D+7.4 2008: D+11.9

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 3.95%
• Current HPI: 161.0336
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.59%
• F500 in state: 60

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Insurance	4	$201B
▸Consumer Goods	4	$87B
▸Industrial Machinery	3	$64B
▸Healthcare	2	$55B
▸Retail / Pharmacy	1	$148B
▸Agriculture / Food	1	$86B

Price history

+92.9% since first listed

18 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-24 Pending — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-05-24 Pending — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-05-23 Pending — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-04-14 Sold (MLS) $135,000 MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-04-14 Sold (MLS) $135,000 MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-04-14 Sold (MLS) $135,000 MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-04-14 Sold (MLS) $135,000 MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-10-28 Pending — RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-10-28 Listing Removed — RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-10-28 Listing Removed — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-10-23 Listed — RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2025-10-23 Listed $149,900 MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2014-11-13 Sold (Public Records) $32,000 Public Records
• 2014-11-13 Sold (MLS) $32,000 Muscatine BOR
• 2014-09-09 Listed $32,900 Muscatine BOR
• 2005-05-03 Sold (Public Records) $70,200 Public Records
• 2005-04-22 Sold (MLS) $66,000 RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2004-08-31 Listed $70,000 RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid

Property tax history

+156.0%/yr

Latest (2018): $1,306 · +156.0% YoY. Source: county tax records.