970 Cass Avenue Road Rd · Portsmouth, MI 48708

$175,000

5 bd · 1.0 ba · 2,195 sqft · SingleFamily · 8 Days on market

Built 1894 1.55 ac lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the D grade

The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).

• Cash flow +16.1/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• DSCR +5.0/10.0
• 1% rule +3.7/10.0
• Schools +2.8/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Livability +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

A grand historic farmhouse rich with charm and timeless craftsmanship. From the original woodwork to the beautiful architectural details throughout. While the home needs some cosmetic updating, it is priced accordingly, giving you the opportunity to add your own vision and style. The irreplaceable architectural features are already here and the major updates have already been completed! Including newer windows, newer roof, updated electrical, a remodeled bathroom, newer furnace, newer hot water heater and more. Situated on 1.55 acres in a peaceful country setting, this spacious home offers two kitchens, a large dining area, an inviting living room, one main-floor bedroom, four additional be

Key facts

• Updated electrical
• Newer roof
• Historic farmhouse

Tags

• HISTORIC FARMHOUSE
• ORIGINAL WOODWORK
• ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS
• NEWER WINDOWS
• NEWER ROOF
• UPDATED ELECTRICAL

Property features AI

Exterior

• Utilities: Public water; Septic system; Natural gas heating fuel; Gas water heater
• Home design: Residential 2-story home; Built in 1894; Facing / entry level details not specified
• Construction: Vinyl siding construction; Basement and crawlspace foundation
• Exterior features: Vinyl siding; Road frontage

Interior

• Kitchen: Dishwasher; Range / Oven
• Bedrooms: Main-level primary bedroom; Additional bedrooms on the second floor (multiple)
• Bathrooms: One full bathroom (main level)
• Heating & cooling: Forced air heating; No central air (no cooling system listed)
• Interior features: Decorative electric fireplace (1 total); Has basement

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 5-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $175k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $90 ($1k/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 $152k (13.2% below list).
• Recommended offer: $152k (13.2% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads: area grade D — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Bay City School District (urban): math 27% / reading 40% proficiency, ranked #317 of 540 in MI (top 59%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Hampton Elementary School (math 37% / reading 42%, grade F, #606 of 1,397 statewide, top 48%, 405 students, 67% FRL); Handy Middle School (math 17% / reading 33%, grade F, #387 of 493 statewide, top 78%, 685 students, 79% FRL); Bay City Central High School (math 22% / reading 47%, grade F, #372 of 713 statewide, top 56%, 1,033 students, 64% FRL) — zoned schools average 70% FRL vs 44% district-wide (26 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Market conditions: 150 active listings in the ZIP; 39 units permitted in Bay County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• This rent runs 36% of the median local income ($51k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Forward outlook

• 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.
• Bay County population projected at -21% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.

Negotiation context

• Only 8 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1894 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $151,902 (13.2% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1894 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 0.87% ✗
• Cap rate: 6.91%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.20%
• DSCR: 1.10
• GRM: 9.6

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: -12.8%
• Equity multiple: 0.54×
• Total profit: $-22,684
• Equity at exit: $26,093

10-year hold

• IRR: -3.9%
• Equity multiple: 0.74×
• Total profit: $-12,553
• Equity at exit: $15,131

Cash invested: $49,000 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 62 Landlord-Friendly
• State Michigan: 62 Landlord-Friendly · EVEN
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

7-day pay-or-quit; mixed climate; Detroit/AA have some protections.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 48708

• Home prices YoY: -30.9%
• Active inventory: 150
• Price-to-rent: 9.6×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,519 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$918
• Tax from tax record: −$120 /mo · $1,437/yr
• Insurance: −$73
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$319
• Net cashflow: $90

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,406

Max offer price $175,000

Occupancy floor 89%

Sensitivity live

Price	-10% $189	-5% $139	+0% $90	+5% $40	+10% $-9
Rent	-10% $-30	-5% $30	+0% $90	+5% $150	+10% $210
Rate	-1.0pp $178	-0.5pp $134	base $90	+0.5pp $44	+1.0pp $-2

UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt

Financing live

Cash to close

• Down payment: $43,750
• Closing costs: $5,250
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 10 events

1. 2026-06-22
   days on market $175,000 Active 8 DOM
2. 2026-06-21
   days on market $175,000 Active 7 DOM
3. 2026-06-19
   days on market $175,000 Active 5 DOM
4. 2026-06-18
   days on market $175,000 Active 4 DOM
5. 2026-06-17
   days on market $175,000 Active 3 DOM
6. 2026-06-16
   days on market $175,000 Active 2 DOM
7. 2026-06-16
   days on marketlisting id $175,000 Active 1 DOM
8. 2026-06-15
   days on market $175,000 Active 2 DOM
9. 2026-06-14
   remarks 699-char remark
10. 2026-06-14
    listed $175,000 Active 1 DOM

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast MI · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,437 · $120/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $2,066 · $172/mo
• Expected delta: +$629/yr (+$52/mo · 43.8%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥97°F today · 14 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 1/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $18,228
• − Mortgage interest: −$9,803
• − Property taxes: −$1,437
• − Insurance: −$875
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,458
• − Management: −$1,458
• − Depreciation: −$5,091
• Taxable loss: −$1,894
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$454
• After-tax cash flow: $1,530/yr

For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Bay City School District
• NCES district ID: 2604260
• Math proficiency: 27% ▼ -8.00%
• Reading proficiency: 40% ▼ -4.00%
• Median HH income: $43,833
• Composite: 28.47/100
• National rank: #6743
• State rank: #317 of 540 in MI

Livability — Portsmouth

No livability data for this city. (Only ~50 U.S. cities are tracked.)

Census & demographics

• County: Bay County · 36,975 people
• Metro: Bay City, MI
• Population (ZIP): 25,635
• Household income: $50,518
• Rent vs Own: 29.9% rent · 70.1% own
• Severe rent burden: 528.0

Population outlook (Bay County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 101,476 people
• By 2030: 98,152 · -3.3%
• By 2040: 89,711 · -11.6%
• By 2050: 80,614 · -20.6%
• By 2075: 60,544 · -40.3%
• By 2100: 41,603 · -59.0%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (81%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 81% Hispanic / Latino 11% Two or more races 10% Black 3%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 9%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 17% Lithuanian 7% Slovak 2%
• Foreign-born: 2% · Canada, South Korea
• Languages at home: 96% English-only · Spanish 2% German/W. Germanic 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Bay

• 2024 margin: R (+14.7) · D 42.0% · R 56.7% · Other 1.3%
• 2008→2024 swing: -30.0pp toward R · 2008: 15.3pp · 2024: -14.7pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+14.7 2020: R+11.6 2016: R+12.6 2012: D+6.0 2008: D+15.3

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -82.21%
• Current HPI: 183.5774
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Bay City, MI
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.37%
• F500 in state: 28

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in MI)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Automotive Parts	3	$48B
▸Automotive	2	$372B
▸Chemicals	1	$45B
▸Automotive Retail	1	$29B
▸Healthcare / Medical Devices	1	$23B
▸Automotive Technology	1	$20B

Price history

1 event — show timeline

• 2026-06-13 Listed $175,000 MiRealSource-MiMLS

Property tax history

-0.5%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,437 · +4.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.