216 Front St

Schenectady, NY 12305

$60,000B+

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,200 sqft · Built 1850 · Townhouse · Pending · 1 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,437/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$315
• Tax + insurance: −$156
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$302
• Net cashflow: $665/mo
• Annual: $7,984/yr
• Cap rate: 20.71%
• Cash-on-cash: 51.49%
• DSCR: 3.29
• 1% rule: 2.40%
• Cash to close: $16,800

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath townhouse listed at $60k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $665 ($8k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $60k).
• Only 1 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• In year one you build about $2k of equity ($415 loan paydown + $2k appreciation (3.2% local appreciation)).
• Location reads 78/100 on livability (#167 in NY, #2,597 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: commute A+, health & safety A+, cost of living A; Watch: employment D+, crime F.
• Schenectady City School District (urban): math 38% / reading 34% proficiency, ranked #556 of 590 in NY (top 94%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases; 65% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Zoned schools: Schenectady High School (math 75% / reading 90%, grade A, #446 of 1,100 statewide, top 41%, 2,743 students, 71% FRL).
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 82% at this address vs 36% district-wide (+46 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Schenectady City School District average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Watch-outs: flood insurance adds $56/mo; built in 1850 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 20 active listings in the ZIP; 30 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 24d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 154 units permitted in Schenectady County in 2024 (54 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Schenectady County population projected to shrink 4% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• At projected returns (3.2% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $17k cash investment doubles in ~2 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Climate carrying-cost: severe flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 20.7% vs local median 6.3% in Schenectady — 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.
• This rent runs 32% of the median local income ($53k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1850 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• What's the actual annual flood-insurance premium (NFIP or private), and is the property in a SFHA with mandatory coverage?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• Crime grade is F in this area — have there been break-ins, vandalism, or insurance claims at this property in the last 3 years? What carrier currently insures it and at what premium?
• 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.
• 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.