134 W Battell St

Mishawaka, IN 46545

$172,500C+

3 bd · 1.0 ba · 1,448 sqft · Built 1940 · SingleFamily · Pending · 3 DOM

Cashflow @ list (25.0% down · 7.5%)

• Estimated rent: $1,765/mo
• Mortgage (P&I): −$905
• Tax + insurance: −$181
• HOA: −$0
• Vac / Maint / Mgmt: −$371
• Net cashflow: $309/mo
• Annual: $3,703/yr
• Cap rate: 8.44%
• Cash-on-cash: 7.67%
• DSCR: 1.34
• 1% rule: 1.02%
• Cash to close: $48,300

Investor read

• This is a 3-bed/1.0-bath single-family listed at $172k.
• At list price, monthly cash flow is $309 ($4k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($2k rent vs $172k).
• Only 3 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• 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 76/100 on livability (#53 in IN, #3,586 nationally) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: cost of living A+, housing A+, health & safety B; Watch: amenities F, employment F.
• School City Of Mishawaka (urban): math 23% / reading 30% proficiency, ranked #260 of 301 in IN (top 86%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover.
• Zoned schools: Liberty Elementary School (math 23% / reading 22%, grade F, #788 of 994 statewide, top 79%, 417 students, 80% FRL); John J Young Middle School (math 17% / reading 30%, grade F, #257 of 330 statewide, top 79%, 735 students, 74% FRL); Mishawaka High School (math 24% / reading 60%, grade F, #197 of 369 statewide, top 57%, 1,488 students, 65% FRL) — zoned schools average 73% FRL vs 54% district-wide (19 pts higher); higher-poverty schools than district average — tighter screening recommended.
• Watch-outs: built in 1940 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.
• Market conditions: Rents rising fast (+5.2%/yr); 78 active listings in the ZIP; 16 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 16d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 754 units permitted in St. Joseph County in 2024 (460 in 5+ unit buildings).
• 5 sale attempts since 11y 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.
• Current owner paid $130k; 33% above their basis — modest negotiation headroom, anchor on the comps not their cost.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 5.2% rent growth), your $48k cash investment doubles in ~10 years — after that, you're playing with house money.
• Cap rate 8.4% vs local median 5.3% in Mishawaka — 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.
• This rent runs 37% of the median local income ($57k/yr) — at the standard rent-burdened threshold; future hikes will face affordability resistance.

Questions for listing agent

• Built in 1940 — 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.