1200 Cook Ave

Lakewood, OH 44107

$359,000D

4 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,445 sqft · Built 1909 · MultiFamily · Active · 22 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,113/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,883
• Tax + insurance: −$695
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$654
• Net cashflow: $-118/mo
• Annual: $-1,416/yr
• Cap rate: 5.90%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.41%
• DSCR: 0.94
• 1% rule: 0.87%
• Cash to close: $100,520

Investor read

• This is a 2 × 2-bed/1.0-bath units multifamily listed at $359k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-118 ($-1k/yr) — negative. Per door: $-59/mo.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $338k (5.8% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $311k (13.3% below list).
• It's been on market 22 days — a 2% lower offer ($354k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $311k (13.3% 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 $11k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 88/100 on livability (#29 in OH, #249 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: schools A+, amenities A+, cost of living A+; Watch: commute F.
• Lakewood City (suburban): math 60% / reading 71% proficiency, ranked #213 of 656 in OH (top 32%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Watch-outs: built in 1909 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+5.4%/yr); 204 active listings in the ZIP; 8 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 45d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 50% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; 1,441 units permitted in Cuyahoga County in 2024 (700 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Cuyahoga County population projected to shrink 8% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• 8 sale attempts since 29y 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 $285k; 26% above their basis — modest negotiation headroom, anchor on the comps not their cost.
• Cap rate 5.9% vs local median 2.6% in Lakewood — 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 $3,113/mo this rent would consume 54% of the median local household income ($69k/yr) (locally 2271% 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?
• 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?
• Built in 1909 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• Schools are A-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.