103 Cardinal Cove Rd · Lake Murray of Richland, SC 29063

$279,000

3 bd · 2.0 ba · 1,180 sqft · SingleFamily public records · 14 Days on market

Built 1985 0.33 ac lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the D grade

The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).

• Cash flow +13.7/30.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Schools +4.5/10.0
• DSCR +4.1/10.0
• Livability +3.4/5.0
• Rent growth +2.7/5.0
• 1% rule +2.6/10.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Welcome to 103 Cardinal Cove Rd. You don't find many opportunities for a true log home in the Irmo area, and you certainly don't find them off Marina Road and Liberty on the Lake and Nautical Boat Club, tucked back on a quiet cove just a short walk from the shores of Lake Murray. This is the kind of property people drive past and slow down to look at. Exposed beam ceilings, a wood-burning masonry fireplace, and real log construction give this home a warmth and character that no cookie-cutter neighborhood build can replicate. Charming and well-kept, this home is well-maintained. New windows mean lower energy bills and no drafts. The HVAC and all ductwork were replaced in 2018 and are on an a

Key facts

• Log home
• New windows
• 0.33 acre lot

Tags

• LOG HOME
• WOOD BURNING MASONRY FIREPLACE
• REAL LOG CONSTRUCTION
• NEW WINDOWS
• WHOLE HOME GENERAC GENERATOR
• SPA MULTI HEAD SHOWER

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 3-bed/2.0-bath single-family listed at $279k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $18 ($215/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 $213k (23.7% below list).
• Recommended offer: $213k (23.7% below list) — sets the bar for 1% rule.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 67/100 on livability (#102 in SC) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, employment A+, housing A+; Watch: amenities F, commute F, cost of living F.
• Lexington 05 (suburban): math 47% / reading 55% proficiency, ranked #5 of 80 in SC (top 6%) — acceptable for families but not a draw, mixed tenant base, ~2y average lease.
• Zoned schools: Ballentine Elementary (math 59% / reading 64%, grade B, #76 of 597 statewide, top 13%, 521 students, 42% FRL); Chapin High (math 82% / reading 91%, grade A, #7 of 196 statewide, top 4%, 1,615 students, 100% FRL) — zoned schools average 71% FRL vs 27% district-wide (44 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Zoned-school proficiency averages 74% at this address vs 51% district-wide (+23 pts) — the actual schools serving this property are materially stronger than the Lexington 05 average implies; a family-tenant draw the district grade alone would hide.
• Market conditions: Rents flat; 315 active listings in the ZIP; 1 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; solid renter incomes; 3,472 units permitted in Richland County in 2024 (1,096 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• 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.
• Richland County population projected at +30% by 2050 — long-run rental-demand tailwind backs the buy-and-hold thesis.

Negotiation context

• Only 14 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.

Risks & watch-outs

• Climate carrying-cost: major wind risk, 61% chance of damaging wind over 30y; extreme-heat days projected 7→16/yr by 2055 (HVAC capex compounding) — expect insurance premiums to compound above CPI over the hold.

Recommended offer $212,998 (23.7% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
2. 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?
3. 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?
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 0.76% ✗
• Cap rate: 6.37%
• Cash-on-cash: 0.28%
• DSCR: 1.01
• GRM: 10.9

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 0.78% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: -18.1%
• Equity multiple: 0.37×
• Total profit: $-48,854
• Equity at exit: $41,600

10-year hold

• IRR: -14.7%
• Equity multiple: 0.23×
• Total profit: $-59,868
• Equity at exit: $24,123

Cash invested: $78,120 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly
• State South Carolina: 90 Strongly Landlord-Friendly · R+6
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

5-day notice; preempted; landlord-favorable.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 29063

• Rents YoY: 0.8%
• Active inventory: 315
• Price-to-rent: 10.9×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $2,130 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,463
• Tax from tax record: −$85 /mo · $1,025/yr
• Insurance: −$116
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$447
• Net cashflow: $18

Break-even live

Break-even rent $2,107

Max offer price $279,000

Occupancy floor 94%

UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt

Financing live

Cash to close

• Down payment: $69,750
• Closing costs: $8,370
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 1 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
1600 Marina Rd Irmo, SC	1.0–3.0	1.0–2.0	1134	$2,360	$2.08	2d	12	0.13mi

Listing history 5 events

1. 2026-06-02
   status $279,000 Pending 14 DOM
2. 2026-06-01
   days on market $279,000 Active 14 DOM
3. 2026-05-31
   days on market $279,000 Active 13 DOM
4. 2026-04-22
   status Pending
5. 2026-04-14
   listed $279,000 Active

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast SC · Resets to sale price

• Current annual tax: $1,025 · $85/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,590 · $133/mo
• Expected delta: +$565/yr (+$47/mo · 55.2%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 3/10 Moderate
• 🌡 Heat 6/10 Major 7 d/yr ≥107°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 6/10 Major 61% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 3/10 Moderate 2 unhealthy d/yr today · 3 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $25,560
• − Mortgage interest: −$15,628
• − Property taxes: −$1,025
• − Insurance: −$1,395
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$2,045
• − Management: −$2,045
• − Depreciation: −$8,116
• Taxable loss: −$4,695
• Est. tax savings @ 24.0%: +$1,127
• After-tax cash flow: $1,342/yr

For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Lexington 05
• NCES district ID: 4502820
• Math proficiency: 47% ▼ -7.00%
• Reading proficiency: 55% ▼ -4.00%
• Median HH income: $67,732
• Composite: 45.28/100
• National rank: #2656
• State rank: #5 of 80 in SC

Livability — Lake Murray of Richland

• Score: 67/100
• State rank: #102
• US rank: #10903

Category grades

Amenities F Commute F Cost of living F Crime A+ Employment A+ Housing A+ Health & safety F User ratings A+

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Lake Murray of Richland, SC
• County: Richland County · 389,530 people
• City population: 179
• Metro: Columbia, SC
• Population (ZIP): 38,201
• Household income: $91,973
• Rent vs Own: 19.4% rent · 80.6% own
• Severe rent burden: 962.0

Population outlook (Richland County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 459,667 people
• By 2030: 487,524 · +6.1%
• By 2040: 542,035 · +17.9%
• By 2050: 595,371 · +29.5%
• By 2075: 732,998 · +59.5%
• By 2100: 820,415 · +78.5%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Majority White (65%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 65% Black 26% Two or more races 5% Hispanic / Latino 3% Asian 2%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 4% Slovak 4% Serbian 3%
• Foreign-born: 4% · Canada
• Languages at home: 95% English-only · Spanish 2% Russian/Polish/Slavic 1% Other Indo-European 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Richland

• 2024 margin: Solid D (+34.6) · D 66.4% · R 31.8% · Other 1.8%
• 2008→2024 swing: +5.7pp toward D · 2008: 28.9pp · 2024: 34.6pp
• All cycles: 2024: D+34.6 2020: D+38.3 2016: D+32.9 2012: D+33.3 2008: D+28.9

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -130.57%
• Current HPI: 204.0147
• Rent YoY: ▲ 0.78%
• Metro: Columbia, SC
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 4.51%
• F500 in state: 2

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in SC)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Packaging	1	$7B

Price history

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-22 Pending — Consolidated MLS
• 2026-04-14 Listed $279,000 Consolidated MLS

Property tax history

-0.0%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,025 · +4.0% YoY. Source: county tax records.