10253 Angell St, Downey, CA 90242 — -1.0% Cash-on-Cash

About this property

10253 Angell St is a 4-bedroom, 3-bath single-family property in Downey, CA 90242, offering 1,830 sq ft on a 5,281 sq ft lot.

The listing describes a pool home with living spaces designed to flow between indoor and outdoor use — the backyard pool is a functional amenity that can support higher-end tenant positioning in a market where outdoor space commands a premium. The kitchen is integrated into the main living area rather than isolated, which tends to appeal to longer-term tenants. Four bedrooms with three full baths gives the layout flexibility for families or shared occupancy.

A few flags worth tracking: the property is a trust sale requiring court confirmation, which adds procedural friction and timeline uncertainty to any acquisition. It's been sitting 80 days on market without a price reduction from the original list price, which in a market where comparable 4-bed properties are moving in under two weeks suggests either a buyer pool constrained by the court confirmation requirement or pricing resistance at $799K. Public records show a tax-assessed value of $124,723 — a figure that reflects legacy Prop 13 basis, not current market value, and shouldn't be read as a valuation anchor.

The pool, flexible floor plan, and established location are the property's strongest physical assets; the trust sale process is the clearest near-term friction point.

The investment case

At a $799,000 purchase price with an estimated $5,021 monthly rent, this property generates a -$133 monthly cash flow and a -1.0% cash-on-cash return at 20% down.

List Price

$799,000

Monthly Payment (PITI+HOA)

$5,154

Principal & Interest

$3,990

Property Tax

$898

Insurance

$266

HOA

$0

PMI

$0

Est. Monthly Rent

$5,021

Estimated rent based on automated valuation of comparable listings.

Cash-on-Cash Return

-1.0%

Cap Rate

7.1%

Monthly Cash Flow

-$133

Gross Rent Multiplier

13.3

DSCR

1.2

The -1.0% cash-on-cash is the number that defines this deal. Total monthly carrying costs come to $5,154 — principal and interest at $3,990, property tax at $898, and insurance at $266 — against an estimated $5,021 rent. That's a $133/month shortfall, meaning an investor is writing a small check each month to hold the asset. No HOA, no PMI, so there's no structural cost hiding in the stack.

The cap rate tells a different story: 7.1% on a net operating income of $4,755/month is a legitimate yield figure, and it's the metric that separates this property from the appreciation-only plays common in Southern California. The debt service coverage ratio of 1.2 means the NOI covers the mortgage payment with room to spare — the cash flow gap is driven by taxes and insurance layered on top, not by the property's income relative to debt.

The gross rent multiplier of 13.3 is the other number worth anchoring to. For context, a GRM below 15 in a market like Downey is generally considered favorable for income-focused buyers. The city average cash-on-cash sits at 0.0%, so this property's -1.0% is modestly below the local average — not dramatically so, but negative is negative. Figures exclude depreciation tax benefits, which vary by individual tax situation.

The cap rate and DSCR are genuinely solid; the cash-on-cash shortfall is real but narrow, and the tax/insurance load is doing most of the damage.

Annual return outlook

The 5-year total ROI projection of 6.6% is built on three components, with appreciation and mortgage paydown carrying the weight that cash flow doesn't.

Cash flow contributes -1.0% to the five-year return — a drag, not a driver. The two components doing the work are an estimated 3.8% annual appreciation and a 3.8% mortgage paydown contribution, each adding meaningfully to the total. Combined, they push the projected five-year ROI to 6.6% annualized even with the monthly cash flow in the red.

The 3.8% appreciation figure is an estimate, not a data-scraped historical rate, so it carries uncertainty. Downey is an established Southern California suburb, and the directional case for price appreciation over a five-year horizon is reasonable, but it shouldn't be treated as guaranteed. An investor stress-testing this deal should consider what the return looks like if appreciation runs at 2% instead of 3.8% — in that scenario, the total ROI compresses significantly and the negative cash flow becomes harder to justify.

Mortgage paydown at 3.8% is the most predictable component of the three. At a 6.55% rate on a 30-year fixed, the amortization schedule front-loads interest, but five years of paydown on a ~$639,200 loan still builds meaningful equity. That equity is only realized at sale or refinance, so it's a paper return until then.

This is an appreciation-and-paydown thesis, not a cash flow thesis — investors who need monthly income from day one should look elsewhere.

How it compares to nearby for-sale listings

Four active for-sale listings in ZIP 90242 provide a pricing context, with a comp median of $950,000 against this property's $799,000 ask.

At $799,000 for 1,830 sq ft, this property is priced at roughly $437/sq ft. The comp set tells a nuanced story. The closest bedroom match — a 4-bed, 2-bath at 1,692 sq ft asking $950,000 — implies roughly $561/sq ft, making 10253 Angell St look notably discounted on a per-square-foot basis. Even the 4-bed unit at $634,900 is a 1,376 sq ft apartment-style listing, a structurally different product.

The $950,000 comp median sits $151,000 above this property's list price. That gap is either a pricing opportunity or a signal that the trust sale and court confirmation process is suppressing buyer competition and forcing a discount. Both explanations can be true simultaneously.

Days on market matter here. Two of the four comps went active within the last week, and one has been listed 24 days. This property has been on market 80 days with no price reduction — in a comp set where properties are moving faster, that's a data point, not noise. It may reflect the court confirmation friction rather than a fundamental pricing problem, but buyers should factor in the extended timeline when modeling carrying costs.

On price per square foot, 10253 Angell St looks attractively positioned relative to the comp set — the trust sale process is likely the discount driver.

Rental demand in this zip

There are no active rental comps in ZIP 90242 for 4-bedroom properties, so the $5,021 monthly rent estimate carries meaningful uncertainty.

The absence of rental comp data in this ZIP code for 4-bedroom units is itself informative. It could mean the rental market for this property type is thin — few 4-bed single-family homes trade as rentals here — or that available data simply doesn't capture the segment. Either way, the $5,021 estimated rent is a model output, not a market-validated figure.

What that means practically: the cash flow projection of -$133/month rests on a rent assumption that hasn't been confirmed by active comparable listings. If actual achievable rent comes in at $4,700 — roughly 6% below the estimate — the monthly shortfall widens to around $450. If it comes in at $5,300, the property flips to modest positive cash flow. The pool and 4-bed/3-bath configuration are legitimate premium features that could support the higher end of that range, particularly for a family tenant seeking a longer lease.

The DSCR of 1.2 offers some buffer — the NOI covers the mortgage payment — but the all-in cash flow gap is driven by property taxes and insurance, costs that don't compress even if rent comes in light. Investors should run their own rental market survey before closing, given the lack of directly comparable active rentals to validate the estimate.

Who this property suits + risks to weigh

This property fits a patient, equity-focused investor who can absorb a small monthly shortfall in exchange for a below-market entry price and long-term appreciation upside.

Best fit

The investor who gets the most from this deal is one with a 5-to-10-year horizon, sufficient reserves to cover the ~$133/month cash flow gap (and a wider gap if rent underperforms), and an appreciation thesis on the Southern California market. The 7.1% cap rate is genuinely competitive for the region, and the $799,000 price point sits well below the $950,000 comp median — that discount is real, even if it's partly explained by the trust sale process. A buyer who can navigate court confirmation timelines and is comfortable with the rent uncertainty has a credible entry point.

The pool and flexible 4-bed/3-bath layout support family tenants who tend toward longer leases and lower turnover, which matters when cash flow margins are thin. Lower vacancy risk is worth something when you're not generating surplus income each month.

Risks to weigh

The trust sale and court confirmation requirement introduces timeline risk — closings can be delayed, and competing bids can emerge at the confirmation hearing. That uncertainty is a real cost even if the final price holds.

The rent estimate is unvalidated by active comps, which means the cash flow model has a wider error band than usual. A 10% rent miss turns a manageable $133/month shortfall into a more significant drag. The 80-day market time without a price cut is a signal worth watching — if the court confirmation process is the only explanation, it resolves at closing; if there's underlying pricing resistance, it may persist.

Finally, the appreciation contribution that drives the 6.6% five-year ROI is an estimate. Investors who need that number to be right to justify the deal are taking on more risk than the headline return implies.