216 Hester Way

Carencro, LA 70520

$196,985D

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,067 sqft · Built 2025 · SingleFamily · Active · 335 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,675/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,033
• Tax + insurance: −$328
• HOA: −$42
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$352
• Net cashflow: $-80/mo
• Annual: $-962/yr
• Cap rate: 5.80%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.74%
• DSCR: 0.92
• 1% rule: 0.85%
• Cash to close: $55,156

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $197k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-80 ($-962/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $185k (5.9% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $167k (15.0% below list).
• It's been on market 335 days — a 12% lower offer ($173k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $167k (15.0% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• 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 69/100 on livability (#65 in LA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment C-, crime D, amenities F.
• Lafayette Parish (urban): math 38% / reading 46% proficiency, ranked #19 of 98 in LA (top 19%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: J. Wallace James Elementary School (math 46% / reading 49%, grade D, #147 of 646 statewide, top 23%, 939 students, 64% FRL); Carencro Middle School (math 18% / reading 28%, grade F, #145 of 218 statewide, top 69%, 665 students, 75% FRL); Carencro High School (math 30% / reading 29%, grade F, #127 of 265 statewide, top 49%, 1,096 students, 69% FRL).
• Market conditions: 281 active listings in the ZIP; 2 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; 1,585 units permitted in Lafayette Parish in 2024 (10 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Lafayette County population projected at +34% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 2 sale attempts 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 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 335 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 15% 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?
• Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• Crime grade is D in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
• 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.