4 Livingston Ave

Schenectady, NY 12302

$399,900D-

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,600 sqft · Built — · SingleFamily · Active · 78 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,828/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$2,097
• Tax + insurance: −$666
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$594
• Net cashflow: $-529/mo
• Annual: $-6,351/yr
• Cap rate: 4.70%
• Cash-on-cash: -5.67%
• DSCR: 0.75
• 1% rule: 0.71%
• Cash to close: $111,972

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $400k. Condition is rated excellent.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-529 ($-6k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $323k (19.2% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $283k (29.3% below list).
• It's been on market 78 days — a 6% lower offer ($376k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $283k (29.3% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $3k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $12k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 78/100 on livability (#167 in NY, #2,597 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: commute A+, health & safety A+, cost of living A; Watch: employment D+, crime F.
• Schenectady City School District (urban): math 38% / reading 34% proficiency, ranked #556 of 590 in NY (top 94%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases; 65% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Paige Elementary School (math 17% / reading 27%, grade F, #1,923 of 2,108 statewide, top 92%, 420 students, 69% FRL); Mont Pleasant Middle School (math 2% / reading 27%, grade F, #704 of 729 statewide, top 98%, 671 students, 81% FRL); Schenectady High School (math 75% / reading 90%, grade A, #446 of 1,100 statewide, top 41%, 2,743 students, 71% FRL).
• Market conditions: 266 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals leasing fast (median 6d on market — plan ~1-2 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 154 units permitted in Schenectady County in 2024 (54 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Schenectady County population projected to shrink 4% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• 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.
• This rent runs 35% of the median local income ($98k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

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 78 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 29% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• 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 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.