640 Marshall St

Albert Lea, MN 56007

$169,900D

4 bd · 3.5 ba · 2,178 sqft · Built 1888 · Other · Active · 116 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,549/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$891
• Tax + insurance: −$293
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$325
• Net cashflow: $39/mo
• Annual: $472/yr
• Cap rate: 6.57%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.99%
• DSCR: 1.04
• 1% rule: 0.91%
• Cash to close: $47,572

Investor read

• This is a 4-bed/3.5-bath other listed at $170k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $39 ($472/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $155k (8.9% below list).
• It's been on market 116 days — a 9% lower offer ($155k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $155k (9.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $5k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 72/100 on livability (#274 in MN) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment D+, amenities F, commute F.
• Albert Lea Public School District (town): math 30% / reading 40% proficiency, ranked #258 of 301 in MN (top 86%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Hawthorne Elementary (math 27% / reading 37%, grade F, #670 of 857 statewide, top 79%, 424 students, 69% FRL); Southwest Middle (math 19% / reading 38%, grade F, #210 of 258 statewide, top 81%, 474 students, 62% FRL); Albert Lea Senior High (math 23% / reading 37%, grade F, #345 of 471 statewide, top 74%, 1,218 students, 53% FRL) — zoned schools average 61% FRL vs 40% district-wide (22 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: built in 1888 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 154 active listings in the ZIP; 16 units permitted in Freeborn County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Freeborn County population projected at -11% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• Cap rate 6.6% vs local median 4.0% in Albert Lea — 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.

Questions for listing agent

• It's been on market 116 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 9% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1888 — 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.
• 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.
• 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.