5028 County Road 27 · Sylvania, AL 35968

$159,900

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,096 sqft · SingleFamily · 279 Days on market

0.76 ac lot $146/sqft · 20% below area Est $201k · 20% under

---

Why this score? — see what drove the D 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).

• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• Appreciation +10.0/10.0
• Cash flow +5.1/30.0
• Livability +3.2/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +2.3/10.0
• 1% rule +0.8/10.0
• DSCR +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks MLS

Peaceful!!! This unique property has served the community well for years as a sweet little beacon of light and hope on Sand Mountain. It could still be a great opportunity to do so as a church with parsonage housing; however, it could also serve as two homes (as the church could easily be converted into a house), a home and guest house or mother-in-law quarters, or rental properties, etc. There are many possibilities! Located in a beautiful area, this property has so much to offer.

Key facts

• 0.76 acre lot
• Parking
• Listed 278 days

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $160k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-366 ($-4k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $107k (33.2% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $94k (41.5% below list).
• Recommended offer: $94k (41.5% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 63/100 on livability (#189 in AL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+; Watch: schools D, employment D, amenities F.
• Dekalb County (rural): math 18% / reading 37% proficiency, ranked #82 of 129 in AL (top 64%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Market conditions: 47 active listings in the ZIP; 49 units permitted in DeKalb County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• In year one you build about $17k of equity ($1k loan paydown + $16k appreciation (10.0% local appreciation)).
• DeKalb County population projected to shrink 8% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• By year 3, paydown + projected appreciation supports a ~$43k cash-out refi (75% LTV) — recoverable capital for the next deal without selling this one.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 279 days — a 12% lower offer ($141k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Recommended offer $93,502 (41.5% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. 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?
2. It's been on market 279 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 42% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
3. Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
4. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
5. Schools are D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
6. 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?
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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: 0.58% ✗
• Cap rate: 3.54%
• Cash-on-cash: -9.82%
• DSCR: 0.56
• GRM: 14.3

CMA / ARV

• ARV (median comp): $200,997
• List price: $159,900
• Delta: -20.45%
• Verdict: UNDERPRICED
• Comps: 6 within 2.0 mi

Projected returns pro-forma

10.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 17.4%
• Equity multiple: 2.42×
• Total profit: $63,766
• Equity at exit: $144,051

10-year hold

• IRR: 16.4%
• Equity multiple: 5.60×
• Total profit: $206,157
• Equity at exit: $310,651

Cash invested: $44,772 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Alabama: 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+15
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

Right-to-evict in 7 days for non-payment; no rent control; preempted statewide; courts move quickly.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 35968

• Home prices YoY: 6.0%
• Active inventory: 47
• Price-to-rent: 14.3×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $935 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$839
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$200 /mo · $2,398/yr
• Insurance: −$67
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$196
• Net cashflow: $-366

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,399

Max offer price $106,886

Occupancy floor —

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: $39,975
• Closing costs: $4,797
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 17 events

1. 2026-06-19
   days on market $159,900 Active 279 DOM
2. 2026-06-18
   days on market $159,900 Active 278 DOM
3. 2026-06-17
   days on market $159,900 Active 277 DOM
4. 2026-06-16
   days on market $159,900 Active 276 DOM
5. 2026-06-15
   days on market $159,900 Active 275 DOM
6. 2026-06-14
   days on market $159,900 Active 273 DOM
7. 2026-06-12
   days on market $159,900 Active 272 DOM
8. 2026-06-09
   days on market $159,900 Active 269 DOM
9. 2026-06-08
   days on market $159,900 Active 268 DOM
10. 2026-06-07
    days on market $159,900 Active 267 DOM
11. 2026-06-07
    days on market $159,900 Active 266 DOM
12. 2026-06-04
    days on market $159,900 Active 263 DOM
13. 2026-06-02
    days on market $159,900 Active 262 DOM
14. 2026-06-01
    days on market $159,900 Active 261 DOM
15. 2026-05-31
    days on market $159,900 Active 260 DOM
16. 2026-05-31
    days on market $159,900 Active 259 DOM
17. 2025-09-13
    listed $159,900 Active 486-char remark

    Show marketing remark (486 chars)

    Peaceful!!! This unique property has served the community well for years as a sweet little beacon of light and hope on Sand Mountain. It could still be a great opportunity to do so as a church with parsonage housing; however, it could also serve as two homes (as the church could easily be converted into a house), a home and guest house or mother-in-law quarters, or rental properties, etc. There are many possibilities! Located in a beautiful area, this property has so much to offer.

ⓘ 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 4/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 4/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥105°F today · 19 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 4/10 Moderate 17% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 2 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $11,220
• − Mortgage interest: −$8,957
• − Property taxes: −$2,398
• − Insurance: −$800
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$898
• − Management: −$898
• − Depreciation: −$4,652
• Taxable loss: −$7,382
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,772
• After-tax cash flow: $-2,625/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: Dekalb County
• NCES district ID: 0101140
• Math proficiency: 18% ▼ -19.00%
• Reading proficiency: 37% ▲ 2.00%
• Median HH income: $36,655
• Composite: 22.78/100
• National rank: #8023
• State rank: #82 of 129 in AL

Livability — Sylvania

• Score: 63/100
• State rank: #189
• US rank: #15565

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• City population: 2,376
• Population (ZIP): 4,540

Population outlook (DeKalb County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 71,722 people
• By 2030: 71,373 · -0.5%
• By 2040: 69,536 · -3.0%
• By 2050: 66,020 · -8.0%
• By 2075: 53,325 · -25.7%
• By 2100: 36,127 · -49.6%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (77%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 77% Hispanic / Latino 12% Black 6% Two or more races 6% Native American 3%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 4%
• Common ancestry: Serbian 2% Slovak 2% Italian 1%
• Foreign-born: 5% · Canada
• Languages at home: 91% English-only · Spanish 8% Other Asian/Pacific 1%

Political lean MEDSL · DeKalb

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+74.0) · D 12.7% · R 86.7%
• 2008→2024 swing: -22.7pp toward R · 2008: -51.2pp · 2024: -74.0pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+74.0 2020: R+69.8 2016: R+69.4 2012: R+54.9 2008: R+51.2

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▲ 15.73%
• Current HPI: 279.1118
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.94%
• F500 in state: 4

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in AL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Financial Services	1	$8B
▸Healthcare	1	$5B

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 2025-09-13 Listed $159,900 VMLS