1199 Ross Ave

Saint Paul, MN · Dayton's Bluff · Find the listing ↗

Cash flows

Asking price: $270,000
Monthly cash flow: $144
Estimated rent: $3,450/mo
Break-even price: $296,994

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

2 bed / 1 bath (est.)$1,350 $1,150–$1,550
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: $270,000
Monthly cash flow: $144
Cash to close: $62,100
Cap rate: 7.0%
Cash-on-cash: 2.8%
DSCR: 1.10×
GRM: 6.5
Price per unit: $90,000
Price that breaks even: $296,994
Rent that breaks even: $3,263/mo
Cash flow turns positive: year 1
Year 30: property vs stocks: $1.35M vs $473K

Monthly breakdown

Rent	$3,450
Vacancy (6%)	−$207
Collected	$3,243
Property tax Public record	−$471
Insurance Estimate	−$290
Water, sewer, trash Estimate	−$255
Lawn care ($120 × 6 mo ÷ 12)	−$60
Repairs (8% of rent)	−$276
Capital reserve (9% of rent)	−$310
Net operating income	$1,581
Mortgage (principal + interest)	−$1,437
Cash flow	$144
Principal paid down (equity, not cash)	$183

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 $1.35M, stocks $473K. The property wins.

How those totals add up

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$655,361
Minus 6% selling cost	−$39,322
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $243,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$266,838 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$519,594
What you'd walk away with	$1,135,634
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($35,100) invested at 7%	$267,190
Monthly shortfalls ($5,937 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$39,398
What you'd walk away with	$306,588
Building minus stocks	$829,046

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$655,361
Minus 6% selling cost	−$39,322
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $243,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$121,742 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$194,046
What you'd walk away with	$810,085
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($35,100) invested at 7%	$267,190
Monthly shortfalls ($27,472 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$167,852
What you'd walk away with	$435,042
Building minus stocks	$375,043

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$631,088
Minus 6% selling cost	−$37,865
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $234,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$285,604 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$569,431
What you'd walk away with	$1,162,654
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($33,800) invested at 7%	$257,294
Monthly shortfalls ($2,878 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$19,621
What you'd walk away with	$276,916
Building minus stocks	$885,738

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$631,088
Minus 6% selling cost	−$37,865
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $234,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$137,096 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$227,378
What you'd walk away with	$820,601
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($33,800) invested at 7%	$257,294
Monthly shortfalls ($20,999 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$131,571
What you'd walk away with	$388,866
Building minus stocks	$431,735

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$655,361
Minus 6% selling cost	−$39,322
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $216,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$332,858 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$730,806
What you'd walk away with	$1,346,845
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($62,100) invested at 7%	$472,721
Monthly shortfalls ($0 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$0
What you'd walk away with	$472,721
Building minus stocks	$874,124

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$655,361
Minus 6% selling cost	−$39,322
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $216,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$171,027 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$308,506
What you'd walk away with	$924,545
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($62,100) invested at 7%	$472,721
Monthly shortfalls ($4,799 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$31,703
What you'd walk away with	$504,424
Building minus stocks	$420,121

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$631,088
Minus 6% selling cost	−$37,865
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $208,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$352,018 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$791,137
What you'd walk away with	$1,384,360
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($59,800) invested at 7%	$455,213
Monthly shortfalls ($0 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$0
What you'd walk away with	$455,213
Building minus stocks	$929,147

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$631,088
Minus 6% selling cost	−$37,865
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $208,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$187,599 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$352,221
What you'd walk away with	$945,444
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($59,800) invested at 7%	$455,213
Monthly shortfalls ($2,211 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$15,087
What you'd walk away with	$470,300
Building minus stocks	$475,144

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$655,361
Minus 6% selling cost	−$39,322
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $202,500 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$365,191 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$832,615
What you'd walk away with	$1,448,654
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($75,600) invested at 7%	$575,486
Monthly shortfalls ($0 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$0
What you'd walk away with	$575,486
Building minus stocks	$873,168

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$655,361
Minus 6% selling cost	−$39,322
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $202,500 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$199,563 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$385,598
What you'd walk away with	$1,001,638
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($75,600) invested at 7%	$575,486
Monthly shortfalls ($1,002 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$6,986
What you'd walk away with	$582,473
Building minus stocks	$419,165

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$631,088
Minus 6% selling cost	−$37,865
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $195,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$383,155 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$889,176
What you'd walk away with	$1,482,399
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($72,800) invested at 7%	$554,172
Monthly shortfalls ($0 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$0
What you'd walk away with	$554,172
Building minus stocks	$928,227

	Year 30
If you buy this building
Sale priceValue grows 3% a year from the price	$631,088
Minus 6% selling cost	−$37,865
Minus loan still owedTenants' rent paid down all $195,000 of principal by year 30	$0
Plus rental profits, invested at 7%$216,626 of profit by year 30, before investment growth	$435,897
What you'd walk away with	$1,029,120
If you put the same money in stocks
Cash to close ($72,800) invested at 7%	$554,172
Monthly shortfalls ($102 total by yr 30) investedThe money you'd have put into the building while it lost money	$724
What you'd walk away with	$554,896
Building minus stocks	$474,224

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 1199 ROSS AVE (dataset last updated mid-2025)
low$649 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 282922440115: special assessments (payable 2026) = $648.76

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)	$5,647
Insurance / yr Estimateestimate. from units, square feet and age; get a quote	$3,482
Water, sewer, trash / mo Estimateestimate. $85/unit/mo, owner-paid	$255
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. built 1885: +1 pt capital reserve	8% / 9%

County record Public record

Recorded as	three family dwelling, platted lot
Living units	3
Year built	1885
Market value (2026)	$264,300
Property tax, payable 2026	$5,647
Special assessments	$649
Homestead	no
Last sale	2020-03-13 · $229,900

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, about 1528 m away.

Crime in Dayton's Bluff

971 incidents in the last 12 months (52 per 1,000 residents), −6% vs. the year before. St. Paul police incidents, excluding proactive visits and community events.

Status history

2026-08-03Price cut at $270,000 (was $290,000) · from listing history
2026-08-03New at $270,000