1601 Linden Ave

Iowa Falls, IA 50126

$127,900D-

3 bd · 1.5 ba · 864 sqft · Built 1954 · SingleFamily · Pending · 12 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,022/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$671
• Tax + insurance: −$112
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$215
• Net cashflow: $25/mo
• Annual: $301/yr
• Cap rate: 6.53%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.84%
• DSCR: 1.04
• 1% rule: 0.80%
• Cash to close: $35,812

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.5-bath single-family listed at $128k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $25 ($301/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 $102k (20.1% below list).
• Only 12 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Recommended offer: $102k (20.1% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $884 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 77/100 on livability (#172 in IA, #3,097 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: employment D, amenities F, commute F.
• Iowa Falls Community School District (town): math 62% / reading 71% proficiency, ranked #184 of 289 in IA (top 64%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Rock Run Elementary (math 70% / reading 68%, grade A-, #263 of 616 statewide, top 43%, 294 students, 42% FRL); Riverbend Middle School (math 56% / reading 65%, grade B+, #183 of 246 statewide, top 75%, 288 students, 42% FRL); Iowa Falls - Alden High School (math 60% / reading 78%, grade B, #176 of 336 statewide, top 53%, 412 students, 35% FRL).
• Watch-outs: built in 1954 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 92 active listings in the ZIP; 6 units permitted in Hardin County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Hardin County population projected to shrink 6% by 2050 — rents likely to lag national; underwrite the cash flow, not the appreciation.
• Cap rate 6.5% vs local median 3.8% in Iowa Falls — 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

• Built in 1954 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
• Schools are B-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.
• 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.