17 Middlebrook Dr

Cartersville, GA 30120

$204,500D

3 bd · 3.0 ba · 1,320 sqft · Built 2004 · SingleFamily · Active · 89 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,758/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,072
• Tax + insurance: −$122
• HOA: −$80
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$369
• Net cashflow: $114/mo
• Annual: $1,369/yr
• Cap rate: 6.96%
• Cash-on-cash: 2.39%
• DSCR: 1.11
• 1% rule: 0.86%
• Cash to close: $57,260

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/3.0-bath single-family listed at $204k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $114 ($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 $176k (14.1% below list).
• It's been on market 89 days — a 6% lower offer ($192k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $176k (14.1% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $6k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 74/100 on livability (#43 in GA, #4,800 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: housing A+, health & safety A+, amenities A; Watch: commute F.
• Bartow County (rural): math 33% / reading 34% proficiency, ranked #70 of 174 in GA (top 40%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Kingston Elementary School (math 15% / reading 21%, grade F, #926 of 1,228 statewide, top 76%, 526 students, 68% FRL); Cass Middle School (math 35% / reading 36%, grade F, #185 of 470 statewide, top 40%, 879 students, 58% FRL); Cass High School (math 17% / reading 25%, grade F, #225 of 424 statewide, top 54%, 1,551 students, 51% FRL).
• Market conditions: Rents soft (-0.2%/yr); 533 active listings in the ZIP; 40 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 17d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 1,618 units permitted in Bartow County in 2024 (265 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 10 sale attempts since 7y 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.
• Climate carrying-cost: moderate wildfire risk; extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 7.0% vs local median 3.7% in Cartersville — 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 89 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 14% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• What does the HOA fee cover, when was the last increase, and are there any pending special assessments or reserve-fund shortfalls?
• 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.
• Schools are D-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
• 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.