2522 SE Morningdew Dr

West Des Moines, IA 50265

$249,990D-

3 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,562 sqft · Built 2025 · Townhouse · Active · 480 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,871/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,311
• Tax + insurance: −$438
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$393
• Net cashflow: $-271/mo
• Annual: $-3,257/yr
• Cap rate: 4.99%
• Cash-on-cash: -4.65%
• DSCR: 0.79
• 1% rule: 0.75%
• Cash to close: $69,997

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.5-bath townhouse listed at $250k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $-271 ($-3k/yr) — negative.
• To cash-flow at today's rent, offer at most $202k (19.2% below list).
• To meet the 1% rule (rent ≥ 1% of price), the offer needs to be $187k (25.2% below list).
• It's been on market 480 days — a 12% lower offer ($220k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $187k (25.2% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $2k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $8k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads 87/100 on livability (#11 in IA, #336 nationally) — a professional / high-income tenant draw. Strengths: amenities A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: commute F.
• Norwalk Community School District (suburban): math 76% / reading 76% proficiency, ranked #39 of 289 in IA (top 14%) — strong family-tenant draw, lease renewals of 3-5y typical; only 14% free/reduced lunch — higher-income household profile.
• Zoned schools: Oviatt Elementary School (616 students, 22% FRL); Norwalk Middle School (math 76% / reading 75%, grade A, #65 of 246 statewide, top 29%, 787 students, 21% FRL); Norwalk Senior High School (math 72% / reading 79%, grade A-, #79 of 336 statewide, top 25%, 1,035 students, 19% FRL).
• Market conditions: Rents soft (-0.2%/yr); 297 active listings in the ZIP; 2 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 439 units permitted in Warren County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Warren County population projected at +22% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.
• 3 sale attempts since 4y ago; this cycle's ask has dropped $16k (6%) from the opening price — seller is motivated, your offer sets the floor, not the list.
• Cap rate 5.0% vs local median 2.5% in West Des Moines — 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

• 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 480 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 25% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• 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 A-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.