4401 Wren Pl

Valparaiso, IN 46385

$367,622D+

5 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,166 sqft · Built 2026 · SingleFamily · Active · 159 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $3,025/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,928
• Tax + insurance: −$613
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$635
• Net cashflow: $-151/mo
• Annual: $-1,813/yr
• Cap rate: 5.80%
• Cash-on-cash: -1.76%
• DSCR: 0.92
• 1% rule: 0.82%
• Cash to close: $102,934

Investor read

• This is a 5-bed/2.5-bath single-family listed at $368k. Condition is rated good.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-151 ($-2k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $346k (5.9% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $302k (17.7% below list).
• It's been on market 159 days — a 12% lower offer ($324k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $302k (17.7% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $3k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $11k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 82/100 on livability (#12 in IN, #1,149 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities D-, commute F.
• Valparaiso Community Schools (suburban): math 56% / reading 64% proficiency, ranked #18 of 301 in IN (top 6%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Memorial Elementary School (math 74% / reading 71%, grade A, #28 of 994 statewide, top 3%, 477 students, 25% FRL); Benjamin Franklin Middle School (math 49% / reading 65%, grade B, #21 of 330 statewide, top 6%, 821 students, 22% FRL); Valparaiso High School (math 60% / reading 78%, grade B, #19 of 369 statewide, top 5%, 2,098 students, 30% FRL) — zoned schools at 26% FRL track the district average.
• Market conditions: 600 active listings in the ZIP; 2 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 542 units permitted in Porter County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Porter County population projected at +6% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• Cap rate 5.8% vs local median 3.1% in Valparaiso — 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 37% of the median local income ($99k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

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 159 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 18% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• 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 A-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.