31 Shipyard Dr Unit 5B

Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

$575,000F

2 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,280 sqft · Built 1980 · Condo · Active · 14 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $4,031/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$3,015
• Tax + insurance: −$706
• HOA: −$675
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$846
• Net cashflow: $-1,212/mo
• Annual: $-14,540/yr
• Cap rate: 3.76%
• Cash-on-cash: -9.03%
• DSCR: 0.60
• 1% rule: 0.70%
• Cash to close: $161,000

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/2.0-bath condo listed at $575k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-1k ($-15k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $480k (16.5% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $403k (29.9% below list).
• Only 14 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $403k (29.9% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• In year one you build about $22k of equity ($4k loan paydown + $18k appreciation (3.2% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 64/100 on livability (#157 in SC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: employment A+, crime A-; Watch: amenities F, commute F, cost of living F.
• Beaufort 01 (town): math 42% / reading 51% proficiency, ranked #17 of 80 in SC (top 21%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+3.2%/yr); 838 active listings in the ZIP; 6 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 21d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 1,824 units permitted in Beaufort County in 2024 (618 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Beaufort County population projected at +30% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 8 sale attempts since 15y 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.
• By year 2, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$36k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
• Cap rate 3.8% vs local median 3.0% in Hilton Head Island — meaningfully above typical; check what's discounted (condition, days-on-market, listing class) to confirm the premium yield is real.
• At $4,031/mo this rent would consume 50% of the median local household income ($98k/yr) (locally 216% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

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?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• Any open or pending special assessments — roof, HVAC, plumbing, elevator, façade? What's the per-unit balance and payoff schedule, and is the seller paying it off at close or rolling it to the buyer?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• Schools are B-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.