508 4th St NW

Buffalo Center, IA 50424

$89,000A

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,491 sqft · Built 1951 · SingleFamily · Pending · 27 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,241/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$467
• Tax + insurance: −$130
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$261
• Net cashflow: $384/mo
• Annual: $4,610/yr
• Cap rate: 11.47%
• Cash-on-cash: 18.50%
• DSCR: 1.82
• 1% rule: 1.39%
• Cash to close: $24,920

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $89k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $384 ($5k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $89k).
• It's been on market 27 days — a 2% lower offer ($88k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $88k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• In year one you build about $7k of equity ($615 loan paydown + $6k appreciation (6.8% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 75/100 on livability (#227 in IA, #4,313 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, employment F.
• North Iowa Community School District (rural): math 56% / reading 60% proficiency, ranked #252 of 289 in IA (top 87%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Watch-outs: built in 1951 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 12 active listings in the ZIP; 6 units permitted in Winnebago County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Winnebago County population projected at -10% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (6.8% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $25k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• By year 6, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$37k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1951 — 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 B-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?
• 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.