1261 Upper Valley Falls Rd Rd

Valley Falls, SC 29316

$159,900D+

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 892 sqft · Built 1926 · SingleFamily · Pending · 117 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,526/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$839
• Tax + insurance: −$152
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$320
• Net cashflow: $214/mo
• Annual: $2,571/yr
• Cap rate: 7.90%
• Cash-on-cash: 5.74%
• DSCR: 1.26
• 1% rule: 0.95%
• Cash to close: $44,772

Investor read

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $160k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $214 ($3k/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 $153k (4.6% below list).
• It's been on market 117 days — a 9% lower offer ($146k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $146k (9.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• 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.
• Location reads 69/100 on livability (#72 in SC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A-; Watch: crime C-, amenities F, employment D-.
• Spartanburg 02 (suburban): math 49% / reading 56% proficiency, ranked #6 of 80 in SC (top 8%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: James H. Hendrix Elementary (math 55% / reading 45%, grade D+, #163 of 597 statewide, top 28%, 694 students, 89% FRL); Boiling Springs Middle (math 39% / reading 50%, grade D, #52 of 229 statewide, top 23%, 1,068 students, 70% FRL); Boiling Springs High (math 62% / reading 88%, grade A-, #37 of 196 statewide, top 18%, 2,671 students, 60% FRL) — zoned schools average 73% FRL vs 44% district-wide (28 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: built in 1926 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents flat; 460 active listings in the ZIP; 4 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 21d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 3,129 units permitted in Spartanburg County in 2024 (40 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Spartanburg County population projected at +18% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 2 sale attempts since 3y 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: extreme-heat days projected 7→17/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 7.9% vs local median 3.9% in Valley 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

• It's been on market 117 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 9% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1926 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
• 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 F-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.