304 E Webster St · Benton, IL 62812

$50,000

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,144 sqft · Other · 29 Days on market

Built 1900 10,125 sqft lot

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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
• 1% rule +10.0/10.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Livability +3.2/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +2.0/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

This charming bungalow near Benton Consolidated High School is full of opportunity! Whether you're searching for your first home or looking to add another property to your investment portfolio, 304 E. Webster offers a comfortable layout and plenty of potential. Step onto the covered front porch and into a spacious living room with hardwood floors that continue into the bedrooms, adding warmth and character throughout. The home offers two nicely sized bedrooms, an eat-in kitchen, and an unfinished basement that provides excellent storage space. With a laundry room, large/private backyard, and a convenient location close to town amenities, this property is ready for its next chapter. Currentl

Key facts

• Covered front porch
• Unfinished basement
• Eat-in kitchen

Tags

• COVERED FRONT PORCH
• SPACIOUS LIVING ROOM
• HARDWOOD FLOORS
• EAT-IN KITCHEN
• UNFINISHED BASEMENT
• LARGE PRIVATE BACKYARD

Property features AI

Exterior

• Parking: No garage; gravel parking
• Utilities: Public water; Public sewer
• Home design: Single-family residence; Built in 1900; One main living level with additional upper, lower, basement and extra levels
• Construction: Shingle roof; Unfinished basement
• Exterior features: Level lot; Paved road access; Shingle roof

Interior

• Kitchen: Refrigerator
• Bedrooms: 2 bedrooms (both on the main level)
• Flooring: Laminate flooring in bedrooms, living room, kitchen and other main-level rooms
• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating; Central air conditioning
• Interior features: Cable available; High-speed internet available; Unfinished basement

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath other listed at $50k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $333 ($4k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($995 rent vs $50k).
• Recommended offer: $49k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Cap rate 14.3% vs local median 5.3% in Benton — 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 63/100 on livability (#785 in IL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, employment D-.
• BentonConsolidatedHsd 103 (town): math 20% / reading 20% proficiency, ranked #727 of 919 in IL (top 79%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Benton Cons High School (math 17% / reading 27%, grade F, #319 of 693 statewide, top 50%, 577 students, 0% FRL).
• Market conditions: 73 active listings in the ZIP; 17 units permitted in Franklin County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $346 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Franklin County population projected at -16% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $14k cash investment doubles in ~5 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 29 days — a 2% lower offer ($49k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• 2 sale attempts since 8y 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.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: property tax is 4.1% of price; built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→21/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $49,250 (1.5% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1900 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
3. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
4. 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?
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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: 1.99% ✓
• Cap rate: 14.28%
• Cash-on-cash: 28.54%
• DSCR: 2.27
• GRM: 4.2

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 22.9%
• Equity multiple: 1.94×
• Total profit: $13,186
• Equity at exit: $7,455

10-year hold

• IRR: 30.9%
• Equity multiple: 3.79×
• Total profit: $39,120
• Equity at exit: $4,323

Cash invested: $14,000 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning
• State Illinois: 43 Moderately Tenant-Leaning · D+7
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Chicago RTLO is among the strongest tenant ordinances in the Midwest; downstate is more landlord-friendly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 62812

• Active inventory: 73
• Price-to-rent: 4.2×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $995 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$262
• Tax from tax record: −$170 /mo · $2,044/yr
• Insurance: −$21
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$209
• Net cashflow: $333

Break-even live

Break-even rent $574

Max offer price $50,000

Occupancy floor 62%

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: $12,500
• Closing costs: $1,500
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 19 events

1. 2026-06-18
   days on market $50,000 Active 29 DOM
2. 2026-06-17
   days on market $50,000 Active 28 DOM
3. 2026-06-16
   days on market $50,000 Active 27 DOM
4. 2026-06-15
   days on market $50,000 Active 26 DOM
5. 2026-06-13
   days on market $50,000 Active 24 DOM
6. 2026-06-12
   days on market $50,000 Active 23 DOM
7. 2026-06-09
   days on market $50,000 Active 20 DOM
8. 2026-06-08
   days on market $50,000 Active 19 DOM
9. 2026-06-07
   days on market $50,000 Active 18 DOM
10. 2026-06-07
    days on market $50,000 Active 17 DOM
11. 2026-06-04
    days on market $50,000 Active 14 DOM
12. 2026-06-02
    days on market $50,000 Active 13 DOM
13. 2026-06-01
    days on market $50,000 Active 12 DOM
14. 2026-05-31
    days on market $50,000 Active 11 DOM
15. 2026-05-31
    days on market $50,000 Active 10 DOM
16. 2026-05-20
    listed $50,000 Active
17. 2023-10-12
    historical
18. 2023-10-12
    historical
19. 2018-03-16
    listed Active

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast IL · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $2,044 · $170/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $2,044 · $170/mo
• Expected delta: $0/yr ($0/mo · 0.0%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 5/10 Major 7 d/yr ≥107°F today · 21 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low 2% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $11,944
• − Mortgage interest: −$2,801
• − Property taxes: −$2,044
• − Insurance: −$250
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$956
• − Management: −$956
• − Depreciation: −$1,455
• Taxable income: $3,484
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$836
• After-tax cash flow: $3,159/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: BentonConsolidatedHsd 103
• NCES district ID: 1705970
• Math proficiency: 20% ▬ 0.00%
• Reading proficiency: 20% ▬ 0.00%
• Median HH income: $35,473
• Composite: 19.77/100
• National rank: #13902
• State rank: #727 of 919 in IL

Livability — Benton

• Score: 63/100
• State rank: #785
• US rank: #15667

Category grades

Amenities F Commute F Cost of living A+ Crime C Employment D- Housing A+ Health & safety A+ User ratings F

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Benton, IL
• City population: 11,441
• Population (ZIP): 11,441

Population outlook (Franklin County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 37,954 people
• By 2030: 36,828 · -3.0%
• By 2040: 34,452 · -9.2%
• By 2050: 31,855 · -16.1%
• By 2075: 25,171 · -33.7%
• By 2100: 18,462 · -51.4%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (92%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 92% Two or more races 6% Hispanic / Latino 3%
• Common ancestry: Slovak 2% Romanian 2% Lithuanian 1%
• Foreign-born: 1% · Vietnam, Canada
• Languages at home: 96% English-only · Spanish 2% Other Indo-European 1% Vietnamese 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Franklin

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+50.6) · D 24.1% · R 74.6% · Other 1.3%
• 2008→2024 swing: -47.8pp toward R · 2008: -2.8pp · 2024: -50.6pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+50.6 2020: R+47.5 2016: R+45.3 2012: R+16.8 2008: R+2.8

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -87.17%
• Current HPI: 109.0501
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.59%
• F500 in state: 60

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in IL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Insurance	4	$201B
▸Consumer Goods	4	$87B
▸Industrial Machinery	3	$64B
▸Healthcare	2	$55B
▸Retail / Pharmacy	1	$148B
▸Agriculture / Food	1	$86B

Price history

4 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-20 Listed $50,000 RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2023-10-12 Listing Removed — RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2023-10-12 Listing Removed — MRED as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2018-03-16 Listed — RMLSA as Distributed by MLS Grid

Property tax history

+2.7%/yr

Latest (2024): $2,044 · +5.6% YoY. Source: county tax records.