5253 5th St

Melrose, IA 52569

$85,500C-

1 bd · 1.0 ba · 600 sqft · Built 2015 · SingleFamily · Active · 56 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $777/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$448
• Tax + insurance: −$142
• HOA: −$38
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$163
• Net cashflow: $-15/mo
• Annual: $-183/yr
• Cap rate: 6.08%
• Cash-on-cash: -0.76%
• DSCR: 0.97
• 1% rule: 0.91%
• Cash to close: $23,940

Investor read

• This is a 1-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $86k. Condition is rated good.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-15 ($-183/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $83k (2.6% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $78k (9.1% below list).
• It's been on market 56 days — a 3% lower offer ($83k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $78k (9.1% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• In year one you build about $9k of equity ($591 loan paydown + $9k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 57/100 on livability (#919 in IA) — a working-class tenant base; expect higher turnover. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A-; Watch: crime C-, schools F, amenities F.
• Albia Community School District (town): math 68% / reading 77% proficiency, ranked #117 of 289 in IA (top 40%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical.
• Market conditions: 26 active listings in the ZIP; 13 units permitted in Monroe County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• At projected returns (10.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $24k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• By year 4, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$32k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

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?
• It's been on market 56 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 9% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• 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 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.