128 Water St

Jamestown, NY 14701

$15,000D

5 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,015 sqft · Built 1910 · MultiFamily · Active · 4 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $2,058/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$79
• Tax + insurance: −$52
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$432
• Net cashflow: $1,495/mo
• Annual: $17,943/yr
• Cap rate: 125.91%
• Cash-on-cash: 427.21%
• DSCR: 20.01
• 1% rule: 13.72%
• Cash to close: $4,200

Investor read

• This is a 2 × 2-bed/1.0-bath units multifamily listed at $15k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $1k ($18k/yr) — positive. Per door: $748/mo.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $15k).
• Only 4 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $104 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $450 of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 69/100 on livability (#470 in NY) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety A+; Watch: amenities D, crime F, commute F.
• Jamestown City School District (town): math 33% / reading 42% proficiency, ranked #553 of 590 in NY (top 94%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Clinton V Bush Elementary School (math 42% / reading 47%, grade F, #1,277 of 2,108 statewide, top 64%, 276 students, 74% FRL); Thomas Jefferson Middle School (math 25% / reading 40%, grade F, #504 of 729 statewide, top 70%, 406 students, 79% FRL); Jamestown High School (math 87% / reading 92%, grade A+, #265 of 1,100 statewide, top 26%, 1,315 students, 80% FRL) — zoned schools average 77% FRL vs 60% district-wide (18 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 56% at this address vs 38% district-wide (+18 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Jamestown City School District average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Watch-outs: property tax is 3.7% of price; built in 1910 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 315 active listings in the ZIP; 127 units permitted in Chautauqua County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Chautauqua County population projected at -22% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $4k cash investment doubles in ~1 year — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Climate carrying-cost: moderate flood risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 125.9% vs local median 16.8% in Jamestown — 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.
• At $2,058/mo this rent would consume 50% of the median local household income ($50k/yr) (locally 1838% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Questions for listing agent

• Can we see the unit-by-unit rent roll, current vacancy, and any below-market leases? What's the average tenancy length?
• What capital expenditures (roof, boiler, parking lot, exteriors) have been made in the last 5 years, and what's planned in the next 2?
• Built in 1910 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• Property tax is high relative to price — has the assessment been appealed recently, and will the sale trigger a re-assessment?
• 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?
• 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.