534 Cass St S · Sauk Centre, MN 56378

$99,000

4 bd · 1.0 ba · 935 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 3 Days on market

Built 1946 7,840 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
• Schools +4.0/10.0
• Livability +3.9/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

3+ Bedroom 1 Bath Home with an THIS IS A GEAT FIXER UPPER TO EARN SOME EQUITY

Key facts

• 7,840 sq ft lot
• Garage
• Built 1946

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Total living area listed as 935 (above grade); total building area 1,683

Exterior

• Parking: Attached 1-car garage
• Utilities: City water connected; City sewer connected; Electric fuel
• Home design: Residential property; One and one-half story; Facing direction not specified; Entry level information not specified
• Construction: Block and brick/mortar foundation; Roof older than 8 years
• Exterior features: Vinyl exterior; City street frontage with paved streets; Lot roughly 0.18 acres (approx. 72 x 107)

Interior

• Kitchen: Range
• Bedrooms: 4 bedrooms (mix of main and upper levels)
• Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom
• Heating & cooling: Baseboard heating; No central air
• Interior features: Range (kitchen appliance); Unfinished block basement

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 4-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $99k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $576 ($7k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $99k).
• Cap rate 13.3% vs local median 3.2% in Sauk Centre — 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 77/100 on livability (#127 in MN, #2,899 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
• Sauk Centre Public School District (town): math 42% / reading 51% proficiency, ranked #164 of 301 in MN (top 54%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: 58 active listings in the ZIP; 661 units permitted in Stearns County in 2024 (291 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $684 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $3k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Stearns County population projected at +9% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $28k cash investment doubles in ~5 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 3 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Current owner paid $40k; list at $99k implies a 148% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1946 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $99,000

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1946 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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: 1.53% ✓
• Cap rate: 13.28%
• Cash-on-cash: 24.95%
• DSCR: 2.11
• GRM: 5.4

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: 18.4%
• Equity multiple: 1.74×
• Total profit: $20,651
• Equity at exit: $14,761

10-year hold

• IRR: 26.8%
• Equity multiple: 3.35×
• Total profit: $65,185
• Equity at exit: $8,560

Cash invested: $27,720 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 46 Balanced
• State Minnesota: 46 Balanced · D+2
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

2024 reforms strengthened tenant protections; ramsey/hennepin courts paced moderate to slow.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 56378

• Active inventory: 58
• Price-to-rent: 5.4×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,515 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$519
• Tax from tax record: −$60 /mo · $720/yr
• Insurance: −$41
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$318
• Net cashflow: $576

Break-even live

Break-even rent $785

Max offer price $99,000

Occupancy floor 57%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $632	-5% $604	+0% $576	+5% $548	+10% $520
Rent	-10% $457	-5% $517	+0% $576	+5% $636	+10% $696
Rate	-1.0pp $626	-0.5pp $602	base $576	+0.5pp $551	+1.0pp $525

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: $24,750
• Closing costs: $2,970
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 3 events

1. 2026-05-18
   listed $99,000 Active 79-char remark
2. 2026-05-14
   historical $99,000 79-char remark
3. 2007-01-10
   soldstatus $40,000

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

Tax reassessment forecast MN · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $720 · $60/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $914 · $76/mo
• Expected delta: +$194/yr (+$16/mo · 27.0%)

ⓘ 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 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥98°F today · 13 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 2 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $18,179
• − Mortgage interest: −$5,546
• − Property taxes: −$720
• − Insurance: −$495
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,454
• − Management: −$1,454
• − Depreciation: −$2,880
• Taxable income: $5,630
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,351
• After-tax cash flow: $5,565/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: Sauk Centre Public School District
• NCES district ID: 2732850
• Math proficiency: 42% ▼ -18.00%
• Reading proficiency: 51% ▼ -12.00%
• Median HH income: $52,108
• Composite: 40.05/100
• National rank: #3816
• State rank: #164 of 301 in MN

Livability — Sauk Centre

• Score: 77/100
• State rank: #127
• US rank: #2899

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Sauk Centre, MN
• Population (ZIP): 8,433

Population outlook (Stearns County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 162,629 people
• By 2030: 166,495 · +2.4%
• By 2040: 172,661 · +6.2%
• By 2050: 177,480 · +9.1%
• By 2075: 192,907 · +18.6%
• By 2100: 206,274 · +26.8%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (93%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 93% Two or more races 3% Hispanic / Latino 3%
• Common ancestry: Portuguese 12% Romanian 4% Italian 3%
• Foreign-born: 1% · Canada
• Languages at home: 96% English-only · Spanish 2%

Political lean MEDSL · Stearns

• 2024 margin: Strong R (+26.8) · D 35.7% · R 62.5% · Other 1.9%
• 2008→2024 swing: -19.8pp toward R · 2008: -7.0pp · 2024: -26.8pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+26.8 2020: R+22.5 2016: R+27.9 2012: R+12.1 2008: R+7.0

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -142.31%
• Current HPI: 149.9169
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.41%
• F500 in state: 34

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in MN)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Healthcare	2	$407B
▸Retail	2	$150B
▸Consumer Goods	2	$32B
▸Industrial Machinery	2	$6B
▸Agriculture	1	$40B
▸Healthcare / Medical Devices	1	$32B

Price history

+147.5% since first listed

4 events — show timeline

• 2026-05-20 Pending — NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-05-18 Listed $99,000 NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2026-05-14 Coming Soon $99,000 NORTHSTARMLS as Distributed by MLS Grid
• 2007-01-10 Sold (Public Records) $40,000 Public Records

Property tax history

+0.7%/yr

Latest (2025): $720 · -8.4% YoY. Source: county tax records.