379 Spencer Ave

Morgantown, WV 26501

$135,000D+

1 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,440 sqft · Built 1979 · SingleFamily · Pending · 4 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,004/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$708
• Tax + insurance: −$139
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$211
• Net cashflow: $-54/mo
• Annual: $-652/yr
• Cap rate: 5.81%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.73%
• DSCR: 0.92
• 1% rule: 0.74%
• Cash to close: $37,800

Investor read

• This is a 1-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $135k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-54 ($-652/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $125k (7.1% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $100k (25.6% below list).
• Only 4 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $100k (25.6% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $933 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 84/100 on livability (#5 in WV, #674 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: amenities A+, commute A+, cost of living A+; Watch: employment D-.
• Monongalia County Schools (urban): math 45% / reading 53% proficiency, ranked #1 of 55 in WV (top 2%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Mountainview Elementary School (math 43% / reading 43%, grade F, #86 of 377 statewide, top 23%, 703 students, 0% FRL); South Middle School (math 33% / reading 48%, grade F, #16 of 109 statewide, top 16%, 755 students, 0% FRL); Morgantown High School (math 49% / reading 73%, grade C+, #2 of 110 statewide, top 1%, 1,859 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 32% district-wide (32 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Market conditions: Rents rising (+1.4%/yr); 127 active listings in the ZIP; 23 units permitted in Monongalia County in 2024 (15 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Monongalia County population projected at +38% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• Current owner paid $72k; list at $135k implies a 88% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 5.8% vs local median 3.0% in Morgantown — 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.

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?
• Built in 1979 — 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 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?
• 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.
• How much new for-sale + rental construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply typically softens prices + rents 12–24 months out; constrained supply supports both.