4672 Birch Bay Lynden Rd #90 · Birch Bay, WA
Flood risk 1/10 · Minimal
- FEMA flood zone
- X (unshaded)
- Chance of flooding over 30 yrs
- 0.0%
- Est. flood insurance / yr
- $507 – $1,088
Fire risk 1/10 · Minimal
- Est. fire insurance / yr
- $604 – $1,122
Heat risk 3/10 · Minor
- Hot days now (above 81°F)
- 7 days/yr
- Hot days in 30 yrs
- 19 days/yr
Wind risk 1/10 · Minimal
- Chance of severe wind over 30 yrs
- —
Air-quality risk 6/10 · Moderate
- Unhealthy air days now
- 7 days/yr
- Unhealthy air days in 30 yrs
- 10 days/yr
Risk factors via First Street. Map © Google.
Why this score? — see what drove the B grade
The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).
- Cash flow +30.0/30.0
- DSCR +10.0/10.0
- Appreciation +10.0/10.0
- 1% rule +8.9/10.0
- Schools +4.7/10.0
- Rent growth +3.3/5.0
- Livability +3.1/5.0
- Condition / age +2.5/5.0
- ARV discount +0.0/15.0
$179,900
🖨 Deal sheet (PDF) 📄 Offer letter ✓ Due diligence
Listing remarks
NEW Marlette home at Ponderosa Estates! Affordability and a gorgeous location minutes from Birch Bay! Appealing 23 acre park with a signature Pacific Northwest vibe. This new 3 bed, 2 bath home is cozy and bright. Gorgeous contemporary kitchen with beautiful countertops, tile back splash and brand new stainless steel appliances. A spacious backyard where you can create your own garden and patio area. Relax on your beautiful covered front porch to watch the sunrise. Take a walk down to the beach and enjoy cafes, restaurants, parks, trails and spectacular sunsets on the promenade. An all age year-round community.
Key facts
- Covered front porch
- Spacious backyard
- Built 2022
Tags
Neighborhood map
What this means for you Summary
Snapshot
- This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath manufactured listed at $180k.
Deal economics
- At list price, monthly cash flow is $727 ($9k/yr) — positive.
- The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
- Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $180k).
- Recommended offer: $169k (6.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
- Cap rate 11.1% vs local median 2.6% in Birch Bay — 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.
Location & tenants
- Location reads 62/100 on livability (#406 in WA) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: housing A; Watch: cost of living D+, health & safety D, schools F.
- Blaine School District (town): math 49% / reading 55% proficiency, ranked #120 of 291 in WA (top 41%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
- Market conditions: Rents rising (+3.1%/yr); 454 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 1,190 units permitted in Whatcom County in 2024 (327 in 5+ unit buildings).
- This rent runs 35% of the median local income ($87k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.
Forward outlook
- In year one you build about $19k of equity ($1k loan paydown + $18k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
- Whatcom County population projected at +28% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
- At projected returns (10.0% appreciation + 3.1% rent growth), your $50k cash investment doubles in ~2 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
- By year 2, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$31k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
Negotiation context
- It's been on market 68 days — a 6% lower offer ($169k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Questions for the listing agent
- It's been on market 68 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 6% 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.
- Schools are F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
- 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.
Investment metrics
- 1% rule
- 1.39% ✓
- Cap rate
- 11.14%
- Cash-on-cash
- 17.32%
- DSCR
- 1.77
- GRM
- 6.0
CMA / ARV
- ARV (median comp)
- $126,436
- List price
- $179,900
- Delta
- 42.29%
- Verdict
- OVERPRICED
- Comps
- 6 within 1.0 mi
Show comp detail 4 sales within ~0.75 mi
| Address | Dist | Beds/Ba | Sqft | Sold | Price | $/sf | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4672 Birch Bay Lynden Rd #157 | 0.00mi | 2/1.5 (-1) | 924 (-12%) | 2mo | $25,000 | $27 | 70 |
| 4672 Birch Bay Lynden Rd #143 | 0.00mi | 2/2.0 (-1) | 924 (-12%) | 15mo | $115,000 | $124 | 62 |
| 4614 Sunburst Dr | 0.26mi | 2/1.0 (-1) | 960 (-9%) | 18mo | $335,000 | $349 | 48 |
| 8370 Harbor View Rd #19 | 0.69mi | 2/2.0 (-1) | 1,120 (+6%) | 12mo | $225,000 | $201 | 43 |
Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.
Projected returns pro-forma
10.0% appreciation · 3.1% rent growth · sell at horizon
- IRR
- 37.2%
- Equity multiple
- 3.87×
- Total profit
- $144,565
- Equity at exit
- $162,068
- IRR
- 32.1%
- Equity multiple
- 8.74×
- Total profit
- $389,899
- Equity at exit
- $349,506
Cash invested: $50,372 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.
Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology
- Overall (STATE)
- 28 Tenant-Leaning
- State Washington
- 28 Tenant-Leaning · D+8
- County
- — inherits STATE
- City
- — inherits STATE
ZIP-level market 98230
- Home prices YoY
- 14.0%
- Rents YoY
- 3.1%
- Active inventory
- 454
- Price-to-rent
- 6.0×
Monthly cashflow live
- Estimated rent
- $2,494 medium interval (Pro) →
- Mortgage (P&I)
- −$943
- Tax est. 1.5%
- −$225 /mo · $2,698/yr
- Insurance
- −$75
- HOA
- −$0
- Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt
- −$524
- Net cashflow
- $727
Break-even live
Sensitivity live
| Price | -10% $851 | -5% $789 | +0% $727 | +5% $665 | +10% $603 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | -10% $530 | -5% $628 | +0% $727 | +5% $825 | +10% $924 |
| Rate | -1.0pp $818 | -0.5pp $773 | base $727 | +0.5pp $680 | +1.0pp $633 |
UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt
Financing live
Cash to close
- Down payment
- $44,975
- Closing costs
- $5,397
- Reserves months
- —
- Total cash needed
- —
Loan-product check · same deal, 3 products live
Conventional
25% down · 7.5% · 30yr
- Down + closing
- —
- Monthly P&I
- —
- Monthly cashflow
- —
- DSCR
- —
- Eligible?
- —
Personal DTI + credit; lowest rate.
DSCR
20% down · 8.5% · 30yr
- Down + closing
- —
- Monthly P&I
- —
- Monthly cashflow
- —
- DSCR
- —
- Eligible?
- —
No personal income docs; deal must DSCR.
Hard money
10% down · 12.0% · 12mo
- Down + closing
- —
- Monthly P&I
- —
- Monthly cashflow
- —
- DSCR
- —
- Eligible?
- —
Short-term bridge; refi at stabilization.
Rent comps 1 comps
| Address | Beds | Baths | Sqft | Rent | $/sqft | DOM | Units | Dist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7650 Birch Bay Dr Blaine, WA | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1036 | $2,175 | $2.10 | 14d | 1 | 1.35mi |
Listing history 16 events
-
2026-06-18days on market $179,900 Active 68 DOM
-
2026-06-17days on market $179,900 Active 67 DOM
-
2026-06-16days on market $179,900 Active 66 DOM
-
2026-06-15days on market $179,900 Active 65 DOM
-
2026-06-14days on market $179,900 Active 63 DOM
-
2026-06-13days on market $179,900 Active 62 DOM
-
2026-06-10days on market $179,900 Active 60 DOM
-
2026-06-09days on market $179,900 Active 59 DOM
-
2026-06-08days on market $179,900 Active 58 DOM
-
2026-06-07days on market $179,900 Active 57 DOM
-
2026-06-05days on market $179,900 Active 54 DOM
-
2026-06-02days on market $179,900 Active 52 DOM
-
2026-06-01days on market $179,900 Active 51 DOM
-
2026-05-31days on market $179,900 Active 50 DOM
-
2026-05-30pricedays on market $179,900 Active 49 DOM
-
2026-04-11$185,000 Active
ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot
backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.
Climate risk First Street
- Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
- Wildfire 1/10 Low
- Heat 3/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥81°F today · 19 d/yr by 30 yrs out
- Wind 1/10 Low
- Air quality 6/10 Major 7 unhealthy d/yr today · 10 by 30 yrs out
Nearby sold comps map
Loading sold comps map…
Walkable amenities ~0.75 mi
Loading nearby amenities…
Taxation est. · year 1
- Rental income
- $29,927
- − Mortgage interest
- −$10,077
- − Property taxes
- −$2,698
- − Insurance
- −$900
- − Repairs & maintenance
- −$2,394
- − Management
- −$2,394
- − Depreciation
- −$5,233
- Taxable income
- $6,230
- Est. tax owed @ 24.0%
- −$1,495
- After-tax cash flow
- $7,228/yr
For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.
Schools (NCES district)
- District
- Blaine School District
- NCES district ID
- 5300570
- Math proficiency
- 49% ▼ -1.00%
- Reading proficiency
- 55% ▼ -2.00%
- Median HH income
- $57,085
- Composite
- 47.05/100
- National rank
- #5128
- State rank
- #120 of 291 in WA
Livability — Birch Bay
- Score
- 62/100
- State rank
- #406
- US rank
- #16180
Category grades
Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.
Census & demographics
- Census place
- Birch Bay, WA
- County
- Whatcom County · 209,776 people
- Metro
- Bellingham, WA
- Population (ZIP)
- 18,744
- Household income
- $86,623
- Rent vs Own
- Severe rent burden
- 454.0
Population outlook (Whatcom County) Hauer SSP2
- Today (2025)
- 240,408 people
- By 2030
- 254,667 · +5.9%
- By 2040
- 281,365 · +17.0%
- By 2050
- 307,592 · +27.9%
- By 2075
- 375,576 · +56.2%
- By 2100
- 421,637 · +75.4%
Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023
- Neighborhood character
- Predominantly White (77%)
- Race & ethnicity
- White 77% Two or more races 11% Hispanic / Latino 9% Asian 3% Pacific Islander 2% Black 1%
- Hispanic origin (detail)
- Mexican 5%
- Common ancestry
- Portuguese 6% Iranian 4% Lithuanian 3%
- Foreign-born
- 13% · Canada, China
- Languages at home
- 89% English-only · Spanish 4% Russian/Polish/Slavic 1% Other Indo-European 1%
Political lean MEDSL · Whatcom
- 2024 margin
- Strong D (+24.9) · D 60.8% · R 35.9% · Other 3.3%
- 2008→2024 swing
- +6.9pp toward D · 2008: 18.0pp · 2024: 24.9pp
- All cycles
- 2024: D+24.9 2020: D+23.9 2016: D+17.7 2012: D+12.1 2008: D+18.0
Not yet ingested
- Civics
- —
Market trends
- HPI YoY
- ▲ 106.58%
- Current HPI
- 868.68
- Rent YoY
- ▲ 3.10%
- Metro
- Bellingham, WA
- State GDP YoY
- ▲ 4.65%
- F500 in state
- 22
Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in WA)
| Industry | F500 HQs | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | $269B |
|
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| Technology / Retail | 1 | $638B |
|
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| Technology | 1 | $245B |
|
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| Telecommunications | 1 | $38B |
|
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| Food / Beverage | 1 | $36B |
|
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| Automotive / Trucks | 1 | $34B |
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Price history
1 event — show timeline
- 2026-04-11 Listed $185,000 NWMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
Property tax history
-5.1%/yrLatest (2011): $113 · -10.0% YoY. Source: county tax records.
Cash-flow waterfall
monthlySold comps — $/sqft
last 12 mo · ≤1 miLoading sold comps…