399 Sequoia Dr · Lake Wales, FL 33859

$237,896

3 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,463 sqft · Townhouse · 77 Days on market

Built 2026 Good condition

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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).

• Cash flow +11.6/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Condition / age +4.0/5.0
• Schools +3.5/10.0
• 1% rule +3.4/10.0
• DSCR +3.4/10.0
• Livability +3.4/5.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

This lovely, two-story home showcases an open floor plan with stylish tile flooring and a spacious great room. The kitchen is equipped with 36-in. upper cabinets, granite countertops, a breakfast bar, pantry, a sleek Moen® faucet and Whirlpool® stainless steel appliances. Upstairs, enjoy the convenience of a dedicated laundry room. The primary suite features a walk-in closet and connecting bath that offers a dual-sink vanity and walk-in shower with tile surround.

Key facts

• Open floor plan
• Tile flooring
• Great room

Tags

• OPEN FLOOR PLAN
• TILE FLOORING
• GREAT ROOM
• 36-IN UPPER CABINETS
• GRANITE COUNTERTOPS
• BREAKFAST BAR

Property features AI

Finance

• Other: Address: 399 Sequoia Dr, Lake Wales FL 33859; Last updated: 2026-05-21
• Financial info: Listing status: Active; List price: 237896

Exterior

• Parking: 1 covered garage space (1 total parking space)
• Home design: Single-family townhome style (new construction)
• Exterior features: Living area approximately 1463

Interior

• Bedrooms: 3 bedrooms
• Bathrooms: 2 full bathrooms and 1 half bathroom (2.5 total)
• Interior features: Spec new-construction home (Plan 1463 Modeled)

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/2.5-bath townhouse listed at $238k. Condition is rated good.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-74 ($-885/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $227k (4.5% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $199k (16.4% below list).
• Recommended offer: $199k (16.4% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 68/100 on livability (#535 in FL) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment D+, schools D, amenities F.
• Polk (suburban): math 39% / reading 43% proficiency, ranked #62 of 73 in FL (top 85%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Market conditions: 261 active listings in the ZIP; 12 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 14d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 10,384 units permitted in Polk County in 2024 (1,716 in 5+ unit buildings).
• This rent runs 41% of the median local income ($58k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $7k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Polk County population projected at +33% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 77 days — a 6% lower offer ($224k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Recommended offer $198,772 (16.4% 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 77 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 16% 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: 0.84% ✗
• Cap rate: 5.92%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.33%
• DSCR: 0.94
• GRM: 10.0

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: -18.5%
• Equity multiple: 0.35×
• Total profit: $-43,216
• Equity at exit: $35,471

10-year hold

• IRR: -10.8%
• Equity multiple: 0.35×
• Total profit: $-43,558
• Equity at exit: $20,569

Cash invested: $66,611 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 87 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State Florida: 87 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+3
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

3-day pay-or-quit; preempts local rent control; landlord-friendly statutes. Court speed varies by county.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 33859

• Home prices YoY: -16.6%
• Active inventory: 261
• Price-to-rent: 10.0×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,988 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,248
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$297 /mo · $3,568/yr
• Insurance: −$99
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$417
• Net cashflow: $-74

Break-even live

Break-even rent $2,081

Max offer price $227,225

Occupancy floor 99%

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: $59,474
• Closing costs: $7,137
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 12 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
260 Lake Suzanne Dr Lake Wales, FL	2.0	2.0	1321	$1,650	$1.25	23d	1	0.28mi
437 Singing Sands Cir Lake Wales, FL	3.0	2.0	1555	$1,950	$1.25	14d	1	0.40mi
413 Singing Sands Cir Lake Wales, FL	4.0	2.0	1817	$1,950	$1.07	3d	1	0.42mi
338 Rustic Rail Dr Lake Wales, FL	4.0	2.0	1841	$2,150	$1.17	14d	1	0.44mi
346 Rustic Rail Dr Lake Wales, FL	4.0	2.0	1844	$2,150	$1.17	14d	1	0.46mi
199 Dinner Lake Loop Lake Wales, FL	3.0	2.0	1599	$1,800	$1.13	14d	1	0.47mi
105 Serenity Loop Unit 5-302 Lake Wales, FL	2.0	2.0	1095	$2,305	$2.11	23d	1	0.68mi
105 Serenity Lp Lake Wales, FL	1.0–3.0	1.0–2.0	1007	$2,245	$2.23	3d	100	0.68mi
243 C F Kinney Rd Lake Wales, FL	3.0	2.0	1600	$2,600	$1.62	21d	1	0.69mi
343 Dinner Lake Ct Lake Wales, FL	4.0	2.0	1801	$2,400	$1.33	14d	1	0.73mi
315 Dinner Lake Ct Lake Wales, FL	3.0	2.0	1405	$2,000	$1.42	23d	1	0.83mi
474 Hennepin Loop Lake Wales, FL	3.0	2.0	1589	$1,850	$1.16	23d	1	1.13mi

Listing history 13 events

1. 2026-06-18
   days on market $237,896 Active 77 DOM
2. 2026-06-17
   days on market $237,896 Active 76 DOM
3. 2026-06-16
   days on market $237,896 Active 75 DOM
4. 2026-06-15
   days on market $237,896 Active 74 DOM
5. 2026-06-13
   days on market $237,896 Active 72 DOM
6. 2026-06-10
   days on market $237,896 Active 69 DOM
7. 2026-06-09
   days on market $237,896 Active 68 DOM
8. 2026-06-08
   days on market $237,896 Active 67 DOM
9. 2026-06-07
   days on market $237,896 Active 66 DOM
10. 2026-06-05
    days on market $237,896 Active 63 DOM
11. 2026-06-03
    days on market $237,896 Active 61 DOM
12. 2026-06-01
    days on market $237,896 Active 60 DOM
13. 2026-05-31
    days on market $237,896 Active 59 DOM

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

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $23,853
• − Mortgage interest: −$13,326
• − Property taxes: −$3,568
• − Insurance: −$1,189
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,908
• − Management: −$1,908
• − Depreciation: −$6,921
• Taxable loss: −$4,968
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,192
• After-tax cash flow: $307/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.

Condition & rehab AI · 1 photo

Good 80/100 Cosmetic rehab

This two-story townhouse is in good condition with a good condition score of 80. It is move-in ready with a cosmetic rehab level, requiring minor maintenance such as painting exterior trim and possibly replacing landscaping to further enhance its value.

Value-add opportunities

• Resale Paint exterior trim — Fresh paint can enhance curb appeal and home value
• Rental Replace landscaping — Well-maintained landscaping can attract tenants and increase rental value

Renovation cost estimate screening

Value-add ROI direction

• Resale Paint exterior trim — Fresh paint can enhance curb appeal and home value ↑
• Rental Replace landscaping — Well-maintained landscaping can attract tenants and increase rental value ↑

ⓘ Cost ranges are severity-bucket heuristics (US national rule-of-thumb). Get contractor quotes + a written scope before underwriting a rehab budget.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Polk
• NCES district ID: 1201590
• Math proficiency: 39% ▼ -11.00%
• Reading proficiency: 43% ▼ -4.00%
• Median HH income: $43,979
• Composite: 34.74/100
• National rank: #5132
• State rank: #62 of 73 in FL

Livability — Lake Wales

• Score: 68/100
• State rank: #535
• US rank: #10036

Category grades

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

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Lake Wales, FL
• County: Polk County · 740,051 people
• City population: 30,351
• Metro: Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
• Population (ZIP): 11,824
• Household income: $57,760
• Rent vs Own: 28.5% rent · 71.5% own
• Severe rent burden: 408.0

Population outlook (Polk County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 752,975 people
• By 2030: 804,621 · +6.9%
• By 2040: 906,117 · +20.3%
• By 2050: 1,000,476 · +32.9%
• By 2075: 1,197,520 · +59.0%
• By 2100: 1,271,518 · +68.9%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Majority White (61%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 61% Hispanic / Latino 25% Two or more races 13% Black 11%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 11% Puerto Rican 6% Cuban 1% Dominican 4%
• Common ancestry: Lithuanian 2% Romanian 1% Serbian 1%
• Foreign-born: 10% · Canada
• Languages at home: 79% English-only · Spanish 19% French/Haitian/Cajun 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Polk

• 2024 margin: Strong R (+20.7) · D 39.2% · R 59.9%
• 2008→2024 swing: -14.6pp toward R · 2008: -6.1pp · 2024: -20.7pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+20.7 2020: R+14.4 2016: R+14.1 2012: R+6.8 2008: R+6.1

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -53.19%
• Current HPI: 267.4537
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 3.28%
• F500 in state: 36

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in FL)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Industrial Technology	2	$29B
▸Insurance	2	$17B
▸Retail	1	$60B
▸Technology Distribution	1	$58B
▸Homebuilding	1	$35B
▸Technology Manufacturing	1	$35B