1064 Lawson Ave E

Saint Paul, MN · Payne – Phalen (Railroad Island) · Find the listing ↗

Asking price: $200,000
Monthly cash flow: −$176
Estimated rent: $2,100/mo
Break-even price: $166,881

Adjust these numbers in the calculator See the full breakdown

The numbers

Default: 20% down (no PMI), offer at asking, self-managed, 7.00% for 30 years, buyer pays closing costs (3%).

Estimated rent per unit Estimate

1 bed / 1 bath (est.)$1,050 $900–$1,200
1 bed / 1 bath (est.)$1,050 $900–$1,200

Rough screening estimate from bedroom count only ($750 + $300 per bedroom, ±15%). Not comparable-rental data; a RentCast estimate replaces it for the top candidates. Confidence: low.

Rent rules: Capped at 3%/yr for sitting tenants.

Price: $200,000
Monthly cash flow: −$176
Cash to close: $46,000
Cap rate: 5.3%
Cash-on-cash: −4.6%
DSCR: 0.83×
GRM: 7.9
Price per unit: $100,000
Price that breaks even: $166,881
Rent that breaks even: $2,326/mo
Cash flow turns positive: year 9
Year 30: property vs stocks: $617K vs $405K

Monthly breakdown

Rent	$2,100
Vacancy (6%)	−$126
Collected	$1,974
Property tax Public record	−$336
Insurance Estimate	−$184
Water, sewer, trash Estimate	−$170
Lawn care ($120 × 6 mo ÷ 12)	−$60
Repairs (8% of rent)	−$168
Capital reserve (8% of rent)	−$168
Net operating income	$888
Mortgage (principal + interest)	−$1,064
Cash flow	−$176
Principal paid down (equity, not cash)	$135

Cash flow each year

Rents +3%/yr (St. Paul's cap for sitting tenants), costs +3.5%/yr. Red bars are months you'd cover out of pocket.

30 years: this property vs. the same money in stocks

This propertyStocks at 7%

Year 30 (loan paid off): property $617K, stocks $405K. The property wins.

How those totals add up

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$485,452
Minus 6% selling cost	−$29,127
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $180,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$64,420 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$95,306
What you'd walk away with	$551,632
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($26,000) invested at 7%	$197,919
Monthly shortfalls ($30,269 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$175,009
What you'd walk away with	$372,927
Building minus stocks	$178,705

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$485,452
Minus 6% selling cost	−$29,127
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $180,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$10,026 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$11,567
What you'd walk away with	$467,892
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($26,000) invested at 7%	$197,919
Monthly shortfalls ($77,302 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$367,619
What you'd walk away with	$565,538
Building minus stocks	−$97,646

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$461,180
Minus 6% selling cost	−$27,671
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $171,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$77,846 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$121,418
What you'd walk away with	$554,927
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($24,700) invested at 7%	$188,023
Monthly shortfalls ($21,869 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$131,507
What you'd walk away with	$319,529
Building minus stocks	$235,398

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$461,180
Minus 6% selling cost	−$27,671
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $171,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$16,288 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$19,833
What you'd walk away with	$453,342
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($24,700) invested at 7%	$188,023
Monthly shortfalls ($61,738 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$306,272
What you'd walk away with	$494,294
Building minus stocks	−$40,952

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$485,452
Minus 6% selling cost	−$29,127
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $160,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$96,298 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$160,931
What you'd walk away with	$617,257
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($46,000) invested at 7%	$350,164
Monthly shortfalls ($8,845 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$54,997
What you'd walk away with	$405,160
Building minus stocks	$212,097

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$485,452
Minus 6% selling cost	−$29,127
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $160,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$26,117 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$34,087
What you'd walk away with	$490,412
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($46,000) invested at 7%	$350,164
Monthly shortfalls ($40,091 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$204,502
What you'd walk away with	$554,665
Building minus stocks	−$64,253

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$461,180
Minus 6% selling cost	−$27,671
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $152,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$111,216 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$196,157
What you'd walk away with	$629,666
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($43,700) invested at 7%	$332,656
Monthly shortfalls ($4,603 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$29,891
What you'd walk away with	$362,546
Building minus stocks	$267,120

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$461,180
Minus 6% selling cost	−$27,671
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $152,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$34,898 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$48,116
What you'd walk away with	$481,625
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($43,700) invested at 7%	$332,656
Monthly shortfalls ($29,711 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$158,200
What you'd walk away with	$490,855
Building minus stocks	−$9,230

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$485,452
Minus 6% selling cost	−$29,127
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $150,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$115,174 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$206,080
What you'd walk away with	$662,406
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($56,000) invested at 7%	$426,286
Monthly shortfalls ($3,770 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$24,732
What you'd walk away with	$451,018
Building minus stocks	$211,388

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$485,452
Minus 6% selling cost	−$29,127
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $150,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$37,293 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$52,128
What you'd walk away with	$508,454
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($56,000) invested at 7%	$426,286
Monthly shortfalls ($27,316 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$147,129
What you'd walk away with	$573,416
Building minus stocks	−$64,962

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$461,180
Minus 6% selling cost	−$27,671
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $142,500 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$130,691 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$246,973
What you'd walk away with	$680,482
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($53,200) invested at 7%	$404,972
Monthly shortfalls ($1,324 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$9,064
What you'd walk away with	$414,036
Building minus stocks	$266,446

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$461,180
Minus 6% selling cost	−$27,671
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $142,500 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$47,139 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$69,621
What you'd walk away with	$503,130
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($53,200) invested at 7%	$404,972
Monthly shortfalls ($19,199 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$108,062
What you'd walk away with	$513,034
Building minus stocks	−$9,904

Future dollars. At 3% inflation, divide year-30 figures by about 2.4 for today's buying power. Rental profits are assumed invested, not spent.

Red flags and opportunities

Watch for

mediumNo rental certificate (CofO) on file in the city's data. Ask whether the building is licensed as a rental and when it was last inspected. Public record: St. Paul Certificate of Occupancy – Residential: no record for 1064 LAWSON AVE E (dataset last updated mid-2025)
low$432 in special assessments on the payable 2026 tax bill (often street, sewer or code-enforcement charges). Ask what they're for, whether they continue, and whether the seller pays them off at closing. Public record: Ramsey County parcel 282922130061: special assessments (payable 2026) = $432.50

Opportunities

None found.

Questions for the agent

Can we see the current leases and a rent roll, with move-in dates?
What did water/sewer/trash, heat and electric cost the owner over the last 12 months?
How old are the roof, boiler or furnaces, water heaters and electrical panels?
Is the building licensed as a rental for this many units, and when was the last city inspection?
Any special assessments pending, and will the seller pay them off at closing?

Standard questions worth asking about any building.

What the records say

Where each number comes from

Property tax / yr Public recordRamsey County record, payable 2026 (non-homestead)	$4,032
Insurance / yr Estimateestimate. from units, square feet and age; get a quote	$2,206
Water, sewer, trash / mo Estimateestimate. $85/unit/mo, owner-paid	$170
Heat / mo Assumptionassumption. tenants pay heat; confirm with the agent	$0
Lawn care / mo Assumptionassumption. $120/mo for 6 months, spread over 12; no snow removal	$60
Repairs / capital reserve Rulerule. base rate	8% / 8%

County record Public record

Recorded as	two family dwelling - side/side
Living units	2
Year built	1948
Market value (2026)	$187,300
Property tax, payable 2026	$4,032
Special assessments	$432
Homestead	no
Last sale	2021-12-23 · $150,000

Source: Ramsey County parcel records.

City rental certificate (CofO)

No record in St. Paul Certificate of Occupancy – Residential (dataset last updated mid-2025).

Nearest highway

I 94;US 10;US 61, about 2235 m away.

Crime in Payne – Phalen

1,694 incidents in the last 12 months (51 per 1,000 residents), −10% vs. the year before. St. Paul police incidents, excluding proactive visits and community events.

Status history

2026-09-18New at $200,000