250 Van Gelder St

Tamaqua, PA 18252

$119,900D

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,161 sqft · Built 1900 · SingleFamily · Active · 34 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,250/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$629
• Tax + insurance: −$471
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$262
• Net cashflow: $-113/mo
• Annual: $-1,350/yr
• Cap rate: 5.17%
• Cash-on-cash: -4.02%
• DSCR: 0.82
• 1% rule: 1.04%
• Cash to close: $33,572

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $120k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-113 ($-1k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $101k (15.7% below list).
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $120k).
• It's been on market 34 days — a 3% lower offer ($116k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $101k (15.7% below list) — sets the bar for cash-flow.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $829 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $4k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 80/100 on livability (#209 in PA, #1,844 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: amenities A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: commute D+, employment F.
• Tamaqua Area SD (rural): math 31% / reading 53% proficiency, ranked #331 of 539 in PA (top 61%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Tamaqua El Sch (math 35% / reading 56%, grade D-, #801 of 1,518 statewide, top 53%, 695 students, 68% FRL); Tamaqua Area Ms (math 20% / reading 46%, grade F, #346 of 512 statewide, top 69%, 433 students, 61% FRL); Tamaqua Area Shs (math 47% / reading 62%, grade C-, #99 of 437 statewide, top 23%, 691 students, 50% FRL) — zoned schools average 60% FRL vs 37% district-wide (23 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: property tax is 4.2% of price; built in 1900 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 75 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals lingering (median 44d on market — plan ~5-8 weeks vacancy on turnover, expect pricing pressure); 75% of comp listings sitting > 30 days — soft ceiling on asking rent; 169 units permitted in Schuylkill County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Schuylkill County population projected at -16% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 6 sale attempts since 13y ago with the ask held roughly flat each time — persistent listings suggest the price (not the market) is what's stuck; bring a comps-based counter.
• Current owner paid $60k; list at $120k implies a 100% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.
• Cap rate 5.2% vs local median 6.8% in Tamaqua — below-typical yield; the buyer is paying a premium for something (appreciation thesis, condition, location) that the cap rate doesn't capture.

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 34 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 16% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1900 — 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.
• 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.