518 High St

St. Albans, WV 25177

$56,900B-

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 2,276 sqft · Built 1944 · SingleFamily · Pending · 34 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,293/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$298
• Tax + insurance: −$96
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$272
• Net cashflow: $627/mo
• Annual: $7,528/yr
• Cap rate: 19.52%
• Cash-on-cash: 47.25%
• DSCR: 3.10
• 1% rule: 2.27%
• Cash to close: $15,932

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $57k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $627 ($8k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $57k).
• It's been on market 34 days — a 3% lower offer ($55k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.
• Recommended offer: $55k (3.0% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $393 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $2k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Location reads: area grade B — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Kanawha County Schools (suburban): math 29% / reading 40% proficiency, ranked #17 of 55 in WV (top 31%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Central Elementary School (math 22% / reading 27%, grade F, #287 of 377 statewide, top 85%, 333 students, 0% FRL); Hayes Middle School (math 24% / reading 39%, grade F, #52 of 109 statewide, top 49%, 436 students, 0% FRL); Saint Albans High School (math 32% / reading 57%, grade F, #11 of 110 statewide, top 11%, 993 students, 0% FRL) — zoned schools average 0% FRL vs 46% district-wide (46 pts lower); this property's tenant base skews higher-income than the district average.
• Watch-outs: built in 1944 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: 119 active listings in the ZIP; 103 units permitted in Kanawha County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).
• Kanawha County population projected at -17% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• 3 sale attempts since 12y 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.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $16k cash investment doubles in ~3 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Climate carrying-cost: extreme-heat days projected 7→19/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.
• Cap rate 19.5% vs local median 4.8% in St. Albans — 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 34 days. Have you received any prior offers? Is the seller open to a 3% concession, seller financing, or rate buy-down credit?
• Built in 1944 — 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.
• 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.
• How much new for-sale + rental construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply typically softens prices + rents 12–24 months out; constrained supply supports both.