605 E Empire St

Bloomington, IL 61701

$149,900B-

6 bd · 4.0 ba · — sqft · Built 1925 · Other · Active · 33 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,934/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$786
• Tax + insurance: −$274
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$406
• Net cashflow: $468/mo
• Annual: $5,612/yr
• Cap rate: 10.04%
• Cash-on-cash: 13.37%
• DSCR: 1.59
• 1% rule: 1.29%
• Cash to close: $41,972

Investor read

• This is a 6-bed/4.0-bath other listed at $150k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $468 ($6k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $150k).
• It's been on market 33 days — a 3% lower offer ($145k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $145k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 77/100 on livability (#161 in IL, #2,987 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities C-, commute F.
• Bloomington SD 87 (urban): math 14% / reading 19% proficiency, ranked #476 of 620 in IL (top 77%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Bent Elem School (math 8% / reading 8%, grade F, #1,627 of 2,056 statewide, top 81%, 374 students, 0% FRL); Bloomington Jr High School (math 12% / reading 19%, grade F, #493 of 665 statewide, top 75%, 1,006 students, 0% FRL); Bloomington High School (math 27% / reading 33%, grade F, #179 of 693 statewide, top 27%, 1,503 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 51% district-wide (51 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1925 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+5.6%/yr); 88 active listings in the ZIP; 247 units permitted in McLean County in 2024 (54 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 3 sale attempts since 5y 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 $130k; 15% above their basis — modest negotiation headroom, anchor on the comps not their cost.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 5.6% rent growth), your $42k cash investment doubles in ~8 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 10.0% vs local median 5.4% in Bloomington — 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.
• This rent runs 41% of the median local income ($57k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 33 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1925 — 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.
• 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.