1 bd · 1.0 ba ·
924 sqft ·
Built 1934
· SingleFamily
· Active
· 40 DOM
Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)
Estimated rent
$1,194/mo
Mortgage (P&I)
−$854
Tax + insurance
−$304
HOA
−$0
Vac / Maint / Mgmt
−$251
Net cashflow
$-215/mo
Annual
$-2,577/yr
Cap rate
4.71%
Cash-on-cash
-5.65%
DSCR
0.75
1% rule
0.73%
Cash to close
$45,612
Investor read
This is a 1-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $163k.
At list price, monthly cash flow is $-215 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $125k (23.3% below list).
To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $119k (26.7% below list).
It's been on market 40 days — a 3% lower offer ($158k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
Recommended offer: $119k (26.7% 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 $5k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
Location reads 79/100 on livability (#26 in IN, #2,234 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, cost of living A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F.
Duneland School Corporation (suburban): math 53% / reading 53% proficiency, ranked #30 of 301 in IN (top 10%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
Zoned schools: Brummitt Elementary School (math 67% / reading 57%, grade B, #101 of 994 statewide, top 12%, 354 students, 28% FRL); Chesterton Middle School (math 48% / reading 51%, grade C, #50 of 330 statewide, top 16%, 884 students, 30% FRL); Chesterton Senior High School (math 49% / reading 72%, grade C+, #45 of 369 statewide, top 12%, 1,981 students, 25% FRL).
Watch-outs: built in 1934 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
Market conditions: 224 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 27d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); solid renter incomes; 542 units permitted in Porter County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
Porter County population projected at +6% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
Climate carrying-cost: moderate wildfire risk — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
This rent is only 16% of the median local income ($91k/yr) — well below the 30% rent-burden line; pricing power to push rent on renewal without tenant pushback.
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 40 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 27% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
Built in 1934 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
Schools are B-rated — typically a magnet for longer-tenancy family renters. What's the average tenant stay here, and is there a school-zone premium baked into asking?
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.
CashFlowRE · CFR-WN6QKQ8ESTTY1R
· Data 1 day agocashflowre.app · 2026-05-29