730 Washington Ave

Princeton, WV 24740

$144,900F

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,280 sqft · Built 1974 · SingleFamily · Active · 58 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $929/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$760
• Tax + insurance: −$168
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$195
• Net cashflow: $-194/mo
• Annual: $-2,331/yr
• Cap rate: 4.68%
• Cash-on-cash: -5.75%
• DSCR: 0.74
• 1% rule: 0.64%
• Cash to close: $40,572

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $145k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-194 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $111k (23.7% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $93k (35.9% below list).
• It's been on market 58 days — a 3% lower offer ($141k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $93k (35.9% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• In year one you build about $15k of equity ($1k loan paydown + $14k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 72/100 on livability (#53 in WV) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, crime B+; Watch: amenities D, commute F, employment F.
• Mercer County Schools (town): math 26% / reading 37% proficiency, ranked #28 of 55 in WV (top 51%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Princeton Primary School (499 students, 0% FRL); Princeton Middle School (math 21% / reading 27%, grade F, #89 of 109 statewide, top 82%, 503 students, 0% FRL); Princeton Senior High School (math 32% / reading 52%, grade F, #14 of 110 statewide, top 16%, 983 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 54% district-wide (54 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Market conditions: 48 active listings in the ZIP; lower-income renter base — watch delinquency; 4 units permitted in Mercer County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Mercer County population projected at -18% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 2 sale attempts since 14y ago; this cycle's ask has dropped $15k (9%) from the opening price — seller is motivated, your offer sets the floor, not the list.
• Current owner paid $47k; list at $145k implies a 208% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• By year 3, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$39k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.
• Cap rate 4.7% vs local median 3.7% in Princeton — meaningfully above typical; check what's discounted (condition, days-on-market, listing class) to confirm the premium yield is real.

Questions for listing agent

• What do current leases actually rent for vs. the listed asking? Can we see a recent rent roll and the last 12 months of T-12 income?
• It's been on market 58 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 36% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1974 — 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?
• The area grade is low — what's the realistic commute time and amenity access for the typical tenant pool here? Any planned neighborhood developments (good or bad) we should know about?
• 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.