205 Lincoln St

Lafayette, IN 47904

$289,900F

6 bd · 3.0 ba · 1,976 sqft · Built 1996 · MultiFamily · Pending · 23 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,484/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,520
• Tax + insurance: −$389
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$522
• Net cashflow: $53/mo
• Annual: $634/yr
• Cap rate: 6.51%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.78%
• DSCR: 1.03
• 1% rule: 0.86%
• Cash to close: $81,172

Investor read

• This is a 2 × 3.0-bed/1.5-bath units multifamily listed at $290k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $53 ($634/yr) — positive. Per door: $26/mo.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $248k (14.3% below list).
• It's been on market 23 days — a 2% lower offer ($286k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $248k (14.3% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $9k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 74/100 on livability (#68 in IN, #4,374 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities D+, employment D+, crime F.
• Lafayette School Corporation (urban): math 29% / reading 34% proficiency, ranked #235 of 301 in IN (top 78%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases; 63% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Murdock Elementary School (math 42% / reading 32%, grade F, #550 of 994 statewide, top 57%, 250 students, 80% FRL); Lafayette Sunnyside Intermediate (math 26% / reading 26%, grade F, #240 of 330 statewide, top 73%, 1,047 students, 77% FRL); Jefferson High School (math 23% / reading 55%, grade F, #235 of 369 statewide, top 65%, 2,118 students, 69% FRL).
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+2.8%/yr); 75 active listings in the ZIP; 1,341 units permitted in Tippecanoe County in 2024 (869 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Tippecanoe County population projected at +41% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 4 sale attempts since 2y 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.
• Current owner paid $235k; 23% above their basis — modest negotiation headroom, anchor on the comps not their cost.
• Cap rate 6.5% vs local median 4.1% in Lafayette — top-decile yield for the area; either an underpriced asset or a hidden risk that comps aren't pricing in. Stress-test before assuming the spread holds.
• At $2,484/mo this rent would consume 58% of the median local household income ($52k/yr) (locally 563% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• Can we see the unit-by-unit rent roll, current vacancy, and any below-market leases? What's the average tenancy length?
• What capital expenditures (roof, boiler, parking lot, exteriors) have been made in the last 5 years, and what's planned in the next 2?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• 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?
• Crime grade is F 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.
• 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.