14 Pelza St · Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705

$195,000

5 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,800 sqft · MultiFamily public records · 15 Days on market

Built 1920 Est $255k · 23% under

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Why this score? — see what drove the B 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 +30.0/30.0
• ARV discount +15.0/15.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• 1% rule +9.0/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Livability +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Schools +2.1/10.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Multi-family units

County records classify this as Multi-Family (2-4 Unit). Listing-text estimate: 1 unit. estimate disagrees with records

Listing remarks

This spacious duplex offers 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, making it a great option for investors or owner-occupants looking to build equity. The property features a finished attic complete with a built-in bar. Nestled in a quiet neighborhood, enjoy a private driveway along with a backyard that includes an in-ground pool and a storage shed. Highest and best due 4/13 by 6pm.

Key facts

• In-ground pool
• Finished attic
• Private driveway

Tags

• FINISHED ATTIC
• BUILT-IN BAR
• PRIVATE DRIVEWAY
• IN-GROUND POOL
• STORAGE SHED

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 5-bed/2.5-bath multifamily listed at $195k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $802 ($10k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($3k rent vs $195k).
• Recommended offer: $192k (1.5% below list) — sets the bar for market timing.
• Cap rate 11.2% vs local median 5.7% in Wilkes-Barre — 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.

Location & tenants

• Location reads: area grade B — affects rentability + tenant quality, not the cash-flow math above.
• Wilkes-Barre Area SD (urban): math 19% / reading 32% proficiency, ranked #469 of 539 in PA (top 87%) — low school quality limits family demand, transient renter base, plan for 1-2y turnover; 61% free/reduced lunch — lower-income household profile, screen leases tightly.
• Market conditions: 74 active listings in the ZIP; 349 units permitted in Luzerne County in 2024 (16 in 5+ unit buildings).
• At $2,721/mo this rent would consume 55% of the median local household income ($59k/yr) (locally 549% of renters already pay >50% of income on rent) — very limited rent-growth headroom before tenants either downsize or default.

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $1k of loan paydown is wiped out by about $6k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Luzerne County population projected at +4% by 2050 — modest demand growth; plan on rents tracking national, not racing it.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $55k cash investment doubles in ~7 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• It's been on market 15 days — a 2% lower offer ($192k) is reasonable based on typical stale-listing flexibility.

Risks & watch-outs

• Watch-outs: built in 1920 — expect roof / HVAC / electrical / plumbing capex.

Recommended offer $192,075 (1.5% below list)

Questions for the listing agent

1. Built in 1920 — when were the roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing, and water heater last replaced?
2. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. How much new apartment / multifamily construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply (>2% of stock underway) typically softens rents 12–24 months out; light construction supports rent growth.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 1.40% ✓
• Cap rate: 11.23%
• Cash-on-cash: 17.63%
• DSCR: 1.78
• GRM: 6.0

CMA / ARV

• ARV (on-the-fly): $254,800
• Comps found: 12

Show comp detail 12 sales within ~0.75 mi

Address	Dist	Beds/Ba	Sqft	Sold	Price	$/sf	Match
48 50 Main St	0.20mi	5/2.0	2,782 (-1%)	4mo	$168,500	$61	84
272 274 Mayock St	0.19mi	4/2.0 (-1)	2,600 (-7%)	1mo	$210,000	$81	71
12 14 Hopkins St	0.21mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,650 (-5%)	4mo	$262,500	$99	71
136 138 Merritt St	0.23mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,720 (-3%)	20mo	$262,000	$96	61
98 Stark St	0.27mi	5/2.0	2,408 (-14%)	3mo	$205,000	$85	60
114-116 William St	0.29mi	6/3.0 (+1)	3,200 (+14%)	4mo	$245,000	$77	52
346 Main St	0.52mi	6/3.0 (+1)	3,076 (+10%)	4mo	$251,500	$82	49
46 48 Stanton St	0.72mi	6/3.0 (+1)	2,764 (-1%)	14mo	$194,425	$70	45
14-16 Stanton St	0.67mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,614 (-7%)	7mo	$241,000	$92	45
1302 1304 Washington St	0.47mi	5/17.0	3,100 (+11%)	12mo	$303,850	$98	30
23-25 St David St	0.74mi	6/2.0 (+1)	2,400 (-14%)	6mo	$255,000	$106	30
76 1/2 76 Main St	0.65mi	6/4.0 (+1)	3,088 (+10%)	20mo	$280,000	$91	25

Match score weights: distance 35% · size 25% · config 20% · recency 20%. Top-matched comps best support the ARV.

Projected returns pro-forma

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

5-year hold

• IRR: 9.1%
• Equity multiple: 1.36×
• Total profit: $19,522
• Equity at exit: $29,075

10-year hold

• IRR: 18.3%
• Equity multiple: 2.52×
• Total profit: $82,939
• Equity at exit: $16,860

Cash invested: $54,600 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 62 Landlord-Friendly
• State Pennsylvania: 62 Landlord-Friendly · EVEN
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

10-day notice; Philadelphia has eviction-court diversion + some protections; otherwise moderate.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 18705

• Home prices YoY: -22.7%
• Active inventory: 74
• Price-to-rent: 11.3×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $2,721 high
• Mortgage (P&I): −$1,023
• Tax est. 1.5%: −$244 /mo · $2,925/yr
• Insurance: −$81
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$571
• Net cashflow: $802

Break-even live

Break-even rent $1,706

Max offer price $195,000

Occupancy floor 66%

2-unit breakdown (identical units grouped — click to expand)

Units	Beds	Baths	Est. rent
1× unit	3	1	$1,435
1× unit	2	1	$1,286
Total (2 units)			$2,721

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: $48,750
• Closing costs: $5,850
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Listing history 2 events

1. 2026-04-21
   status Pending
2. 2026-03-30
   listed $195,000 Active

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

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 4/10 Moderate 7 d/yr ≥93°F today · 16 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 3/10 Moderate 4% chance of damaging wind over 30 yrs
• 🫁 Air quality 2/10 Low 1 unhealthy d/yr today · 2 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $32,652
• − Mortgage interest: −$10,923
• − Property taxes: −$2,925
• − Insurance: −$975
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$2,612
• − Management: −$2,612
• − Depreciation: −$5,673
• Taxable income: $6,932
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$1,664
• After-tax cash flow: $7,960/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: Wilkes-Barre Area SD
• NCES district ID: 4226300
• Math proficiency: 19% ▼ -2.00%
• Reading proficiency: 32% ▼ -9.00%
• Median HH income: $37,420
• Composite: 21.22/100
• National rank: #8409
• State rank: #469 of 539 in PA

Livability — Wilkes-Barre

No livability data for this city. (Only ~50 U.S. cities are tracked.)

Census & demographics

• Census place: Wilkes-Barre, PA
• County: Luzerne County · 118,885 people
• City population: 73,981
• Metro: Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
• Population (ZIP): 15,624
• Household income: $59,344
• Rent vs Own: 39.2% rent · 60.8% own
• Severe rent burden: 549.0

Population outlook (Luzerne County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 319,505 people
• By 2030: 319,943 · +0.1%
• By 2040: 322,643 · +1.0%
• By 2050: 330,817 · +3.5%
• By 2075: 379,145 · +18.7%
• By 2100: 431,908 · +35.2%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (68%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 68% Hispanic / Latino 22% Two or more races 11% Black 4%
• Hispanic origin (detail): Mexican 7% Puerto Rican 5% Dominican 9%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 19% Scotch-Irish 3% Polish 2%
• Foreign-born: 11% · Canada
• Languages at home: 79% English-only · Spanish 17% Other Indo-European 2% Russian/Polish/Slavic 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Luzerne

• 2024 margin: R (+19.2) · D 40.0% · R 59.2%
• 2008→2024 swing: -27.6pp toward R · 2008: 8.4pp · 2024: -19.2pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+19.2 2020: R+14.4 2016: R+19.6 2012: D+4.8 2008: D+8.4

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -71.77%
• Current HPI: 243.9176
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 1.68%
• F500 in state: 34

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in PA)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Healthcare	2	$309B
▸Insurance	2	$27B
▸Telecommunications / Media	1	$124B
▸Industrial Distribution	1	$22B
▸Financial Services	1	$20B
▸Chemicals / Materials	1	$18B

Price history

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-04-21 Pending — LCAR
• 2026-03-30 Listed $195,000 LCAR

Property tax history

+20.4%/yr

Latest (2026): $13,165 · +0.1% YoY. Source: county tax records.