229 Church St

Beckley, WV 25801

$130,000C-

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,092 sqft · Built 1935 · SingleFamily · Active · 118 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,313/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$682
• Tax + insurance: −$115
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$276
• Net cashflow: $241/mo
• Annual: $2,886/yr
• Cap rate: 8.51%
• Cash-on-cash: 7.93%
• DSCR: 1.35
• 1% rule: 1.01%
• Cash to close: $36,400

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $130k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $241 ($3k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $130k).
• It's been on market 118 days — a 9% lower offer ($118k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $118k (9.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $899 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 59/100 on livability (#235 in WV) — a working-class tenant base; expect higher turnover. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A-; Watch: employment D, crime F, amenities F.
• Raleigh County Schools (rural): math 29% / reading 42% proficiency, ranked #14 of 55 in WV (top 26%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Beckley Elementary (math 17% / reading 22%, grade F, #350 of 377 statewide, top 95%, 320 students, 0% FRL); Beckley-Stratton Middle School (math 14% / reading 27%, grade F, #102 of 109 statewide, top 94%, 674 students, 0% FRL); Woodrow Wilson High School (math 24% / reading 56%, grade F, #20 of 110 statewide, top 17%, 1,330 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 46% district-wide (46 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1935 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+4.2%/yr); 114 active listings in the ZIP; 41 units permitted in Raleigh County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Raleigh County population projected at -16% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 2 sale attempts with the ask held roughly flat each time — persistent listings suggest the price (not the market) is what's stuck; bring a comps-based counter.
• Cap rate 8.5% vs local median 6.8% in Beckley — meaningfully above typical; check what's discounted (condition, days-on-market, listing class) to confirm the premium yield is real.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 118 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 9% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1935 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Why hasn't it sold? Are there any deal-killer items the seller is aware of (foundation, flood, title, zoning, code violations)?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• 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?
• 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.