281 Louise Ln · Elliston, VA
Flood risk 1/10 · Minimal
- FEMA flood zone
- X (unshaded)
- Chance of flooding over 30 yrs
- 0.0%
- Est. flood insurance / yr
- $507 – $1,088
Fire risk 4/10 · Minor
- Est. fire insurance / yr
- $666 – $1,236
Heat risk 4/10 · Minor
- Hot days now (above 93°F)
- 8 days/yr
- Hot days in 30 yrs
- 23 days/yr
Wind risk 2/10 · Minimal
- Chance of severe wind over 30 yrs
- 1.0%
Air-quality risk 1/10 · Minimal
- Unhealthy air days now
- 0 days/yr
- Unhealthy air days in 30 yrs
- 0 days/yr
Risk factors via First Street. Map © Google.
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).
- Appreciation +10.0/10.0
- Cash flow +8.1/30.0
- Schools +5.4/10.0
- Livability +3.2/5.0
- Rent growth +2.5/5.0
- Condition / age +2.5/5.0
- ARV discount +2.2/15.0
- DSCR +2.1/10.0
- 1% rule +2.0/10.0
$285,000
🖨 Deal sheet 📄 Offer letter ✓ Due diligence
Listing remarks MLS
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider list under documents.
Key facts
- $93 HOA
- Garage
- Built 2021
Property features AI
Finance
- Other: Property located in the Midway Estates subdivision
- HOA & community: Homeowners association with an annual fee of $1,116 (about $93/month)
Exterior
- Parking: Attached concrete garage with 1 parking space
- Utilities: Public water; Public sewer; Underground utilities
- Home design: Residential townhouse; 1,580 above-grade finished area
- Construction: Vinyl siding; Shingle roof
- Exterior features: Patio; Porch
Interior
- Kitchen: Microwave; Electric range
- Flooring: Carpet; Vinyl
- Bathrooms: 2 full bathrooms; 1 half bathroom
- Heating & cooling: Heat pump; Forced air heating; Natural gas heating; Ceiling fans
- Interior features: Walk-in closets; 6 total rooms
- Laundry & utility: Gas water heater
Neighborhood map
What this means for you Summary
Snapshot
- This is a 3-bed/2.5-bath townhouse listed at $285k.
Deal economics
- At list price, monthly cash flow is $-283 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
- To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $235k (17.5% below list).
- To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $200k (30.0% below list).
- Recommended offer: $200k (30.0% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
Location & tenants
- Location reads 64/100 on livability (#342 in VA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, crime A; Watch: amenities F, commute F, employment F.
- Montgomery County Public School District (urban): math 57% / reading 70% proficiency, ranked #47 of 131 in VA (top 36%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
- Zoned schools: Eastern Montgomery Elementary (math 27% / reading 42%, grade F, #966 of 1,108 statewide, top 89%, 385 students, 76% FRL); Eastern Montgomery High (math 72% / reading 77%, grade B+, #107 of 319 statewide, top 37%, 282 students, 62% FRL) — zoned schools average 69% FRL vs 32% district-wide (38 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
- Market conditions: 33 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 323 units permitted in Montgomery County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
Forward outlook
- In year one you build about $30k of equity ($2k loan paydown + $28k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
- Montgomery County population projected at +13% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
- By year 2, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$49k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
Negotiation context
- It's been on market 22 days — a 2% lower offer ($281k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
- 4 sale attempts since 5y 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.
Questions for the 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?
- 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.
- 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.
Investment metrics
- 1% rule
- 0.70% ✗
- Cap rate
- 5.10%
- Cash-on-cash
- -4.26%
- DSCR
- 0.81
- GRM
- 11.9
CMA / ARV
- ARV (median comp)
- $255,203
- List price
- $285,000
- Delta
- 11.68%
- Verdict
- OVERPRICED
- Comps
- 17 within 1.0 mi
Show comp detail 3 sales within ~0.75 mi
| Address | Dist | Beds/Ba | Sqft | Sold | Price | $/sf | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235 Louise Ln | 0.07mi | 3/2.5 | 1,580 (+1%) | 10mo | $265,000 | $168 | 87 |
| 229 Louise Ln | 0.07mi | 3/2.5 | 1,495 (-5%) | 7mo | $282,500 | $189 | 83 |
| 211 Louise Ln | 0.09mi | 3/2.5 | 1,508 (-4%) | 17mo | $255,000 | $169 | 76 |
Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.
Projected returns pro-forma
10.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon
- IRR
- 21.2%
- Equity multiple
- 2.72×
- Total profit
- $137,150
- Equity at exit
- $256,751
- IRR
- 19.2%
- Equity multiple
- 6.24×
- Total profit
- $417,989
- Equity at exit
- $553,692
Cash invested: $79,800 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.
Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology
- Overall (STATE)
- 55 Moderately Landlord-Leaning
- State Virginia
- 55 Moderately Landlord-Leaning · D+2
- County
- — inherits STATE
- City
- — inherits STATE
ZIP-level market 24087
- Home prices YoY
- 4.3%
- Active inventory
- 33
- Price-to-rent
- 11.9×
Monthly cashflow live
- Estimated rent
- $1,995 medium interval (Pro) →
- Mortgage (P&I)
- −$1,495
- Tax from tax record
- −$153 /mo · $1,834/yr
- Insurance
- −$119
- HOA
- −$93
- Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt
- −$419
- Net cashflow
- $-283
Break-even live
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
- $71,250
- Closing costs
- $8,550
- Reserves months
- —
- Total cash needed
- —
Loan-product check · same deal, 3 products live
Conventional
25% down · 7.5% · 30yr
- Down + closing
- —
- Monthly P&I
- —
- Monthly cashflow
- —
- DSCR
- —
- Eligible?
- —
Personal DTI + credit; lowest rate.
DSCR
20% down · 8.5% · 30yr
- Down + closing
- —
- Monthly P&I
- —
- Monthly cashflow
- —
- DSCR
- —
- Eligible?
- —
No personal income docs; deal must DSCR.
Hard money
10% down · 12.0% · 12mo
- Down + closing
- —
- Monthly P&I
- —
- Monthly cashflow
- —
- DSCR
- —
- Eligible?
- —
Short-term bridge; refi at stabilization.
Rent comps 1 comps
| Address | Beds | Baths | Sqft | Rent | $/sqft | DOM | Units | Dist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 239 Louise Ln Elliston, VA | 3.0 | 2.5 | 1568 | $1,995 | $1.27 | 21d | 1 | 0.10mi |
HOA detail
- Monthly dues
- $93 · $1,116/yr
Listing history 16 events
-
2026-06-15status $285,000 Pending 22 DOM
-
2026-06-15days on market $285,000 Active 22 DOM
-
2026-06-14days on market $285,000 Active 20 DOM
-
2026-06-13days on market $285,000 Active 19 DOM
-
2026-06-10days on market $285,000 Active 17 DOM
-
2026-06-09days on market $285,000 Active 16 DOM
-
2026-06-08days on market $285,000 Active 15 DOM
-
2026-06-07days on market $285,000 Active 14 DOM
-
2026-06-05status $285,000 Active 11 DOM
-
2026-05-08$285,000 Active 980-char remark
-
2022-07-18soldstatus $251,750 Closed 371-char remark
Show marketing remark (370 chars)
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider List under documents
-
2022-07-18soldstatus $251,750 Closed
Show marketing remark (370 chars)
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider List under documents
-
2022-06-05status Pending
Show marketing remark (371 chars)
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider list under documents.
-
2022-06-05status Pending 371-char remark
Show marketing remark (371 chars)
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider list under documents.
-
2021-11-23$251,750 Active 371-char remark
Show marketing remark (370 chars)
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider List under documents
-
2021-11-23$251,750 Active
Show marketing remark (370 chars)
Midway Estate located between Elliston and Salem. New Townhomes currently under construction. 3 bedroom 2.5 baths. LVP on main level, carpet on steps and bedrooms on upper level. Laundry on upper level. Roll vinyl in laundry and bathrooms. Espresso cabinets and Granite counter tops in kitchen and baths. Single attached garage. See Utility Provider List under documents
ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot
backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.
Tax reassessment forecast VA · Resets to sale price
- Current annual tax
- $1,834 · $153/mo
- Projected year-2 tax
- $2,337 · $195/mo
- Expected delta
- +$503/yr (+$42/mo · 27.4%)
ⓘ 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 4/10 Moderate
- Heat 4/10 Moderate 8 d/yr ≥93°F today · 23 d/yr by 30 yrs out
- Wind 2/10 Low 100% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
- Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out
Nearby sold comps map
Loading sold comps map…
Walkable amenities ~0.75 mi
Loading nearby amenities…
Taxation est. · year 1
- Rental income
- $23,940
- − Mortgage interest
- −$15,964
- − Property taxes
- −$1,834
- − Insurance
- −$1,425
- − Repairs & maintenance
- −$1,915
- − Management
- −$1,915
- − HOA
- −$1,116
- − Depreciation
- −$8,291
- Taxable loss
- −$8,521
- Est. tax savings @ 24.0%
- +$2,045
- After-tax cash flow
- $-1,352/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
- Montgomery County Public School District
- NCES district ID
- 5102520
- Math proficiency
- 57% ▼ -29.00%
- Reading proficiency
- 70% ▼ -11.00%
- Median HH income
- $46,618
- Composite
- 53.6/100
- National rank
- #1440
- State rank
- #47 of 131 in VA
Livability — Elliston
- Score
- 64/100
- State rank
- #342
- US rank
- #13622
Category grades
Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.
Census & demographics
- Census place
- Elliston, VA
- Population (ZIP)
- 3,948
Population outlook (Montgomery County) Hauer SSP2
- Today (2025)
- 105,748 people
- By 2030
- 110,301 · +4.3%
- By 2040
- 115,652 · +9.4%
- By 2050
- 119,651 · +13.1%
- By 2075
- 126,005 · +19.2%
- By 2100
- 129,771 · +22.7%
Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023
- Neighborhood character
- Predominantly White (78%)
- Race & ethnicity
- White 78% Hispanic / Latino 19% Two or more races 6% Black 3%
- Hispanic origin (detail)
- Mexican 15% Puerto Rican 3%
- Common ancestry
- Romanian 3% Italian 2% Serbian 2%
- Foreign-born
- 6% · Canada, China
- Languages at home
- 94% English-only · Spanish 6%
Political lean MEDSL · Montgomery
- 2024 margin
- Toss-up / Even · D 50.9% · R 47.4% · Other 1.7%
- 2008→2024 swing
- -1.4pp toward R · 2008: 4.9pp · 2024: 3.5pp
- All cycles
- 2024: D+3.5 2020: D+5.8 2016: D+1.3 2012: R+0.2 2008: D+4.9
Not yet ingested
- Civics
- —
Market trends
- HPI YoY
- ▲ 10.65%
- Current HPI
- 258.6535
- Rent YoY
- —
- Metro
- —
- State GDP YoY
- ▲ 2.40%
- F500 in state
- 50
Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in VA)
| Industry | F500 HQs | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace / Defense | 4 | $236B |
|
||
| Technology / Defense | 3 | $32B |
|
||
| Financial Services | 2 | $176B |
|
||
| Utilities | 2 | $27B |
|
||
| Insurance | 2 | $25B |
|
||
| Technology | 2 | $15B |
|
||
Price history
+13.2% since first listed10 events — show timeline
- 2026-06-15 Pending — NRVMLS
- 2026-06-04 Relisted — NRVMLS
- 2026-05-19 Pending — NRVMLS
- 2026-05-08 Listed $285,000 NRVMLS
- 2022-07-18 Sold (MLS) $251,750 NRVMLS
- 2022-07-18 Sold (MLS) $251,750 MLSRV
- 2022-06-05 Pending — NRVMLS
- 2022-06-05 Pending — MLSRV
- 2021-11-23 Listed $251,750 MLSRV
- 2021-11-23 Listed $251,750 NRVMLS
Property tax history
+68.9%/yrLatest (2025): $1,834 · +1.3% YoY. Source: county tax records.
Cash-flow waterfall
monthlySold comps — $/sqft
last 12 mo · ≤1 miLoading sold comps…