51 Sycamore St, Muse, PA 15350 — 34.7% Cash-on-Cash

About this property

51 Sycamore St is a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom single-family half duplex in Muse, PA, listed at $125,000 with 1,242 square feet of living space on a 3,598-square-foot lot.

The listing describes a property that's been genuinely maintained rather than cosmetically refreshed for sale. A few details stand out: an all-season room that functions year-round, a kitchen-to-dining-room arched pass-through that opens the main level without a full renovation, and a basement that adds a laundry area, storage, and a freestanding shower — usable square footage that doesn't show up in the headline 1,242-square-foot figure.

Outside, there's a fenced backyard with a storage shed and a private rear parking pad — practical features that reduce tenant friction and support retention. The property is classified as non-owner occupied in public records, which means it's already been operating as an investment asset, not a primary residence being converted.

At 16 days on market with no price reduction from the original listing, the property hasn't been sitting. The tax-assessed value of $50,000 against a $125,000 asking price is a wide gap — common in southwestern Pennsylvania, where assessed values lag market reality — but it does confirm the county hasn't been chasing this one up.

The investment case

The numbers at 51 Sycamore St aren't just good for ZIP 15350 — they're nearly double the zip's average cash-on-cash return and sit well above the city's top-10 threshold.

List Price

$125,000

Monthly Payment (PITI+HOA)

$847

Principal & Interest

$674

Property Tax

$131

Insurance

$42

HOA

$0

PMI

$0

Est. Monthly Rent

$1,569

Estimated rent based on automated valuation of comparable listings.

Cash-on-Cash Return

34.7%

Cap Rate

14.7%

Monthly Cash Flow

$722

Gross Rent Multiplier

6.6

DSCR

2.3

The zip's average cash-on-cash return is 17.7%. This property clocks in at 34.7% — the highest in 15350. To put that in broader context, the weakest deal in the city's top-10 leaderboard carries a 29.13% CoC. That means 51 Sycamore St clears even that elevated bar by more than five points. This isn't a deal that squeaks into the conversation; it leads it.

The mechanics: at a $125,000 purchase price with an estimated monthly rent of $1,569, total monthly carrying costs come to $847 — covering principal and interest at $674, property tax at $131, and insurance at $42. That leaves $722 in monthly cash flow. Annualized, that's $8,664 against a down payment outlay that drives the 34.7% cash-on-cash figure.

The cap rate of 14.7% and net operating income of $1,527 per month are consistent with the cash flow picture. A debt service coverage ratio of 2.3 means the property generates more than twice what's needed to cover the mortgage — a cushion that gives a lender comfort and an investor room to absorb a vacancy month without going negative.

The gross rent multiplier of 6.6 is low, reflecting how cheaply the property is priced relative to its rent potential. The city average cash-on-cash is -1.0%, meaning most properties in this market don't generate positive cash flow at standard financing terms. This one does, by a wide margin.

Figures exclude depreciation tax benefits, which vary by individual tax situation.

Annual return outlook

The 44.6% total 5-year ROI breaks into three components, with cash flow doing the heaviest lifting by far.

Cash flow contributes 34.7 percentage points of the 44.6% total return — the dominant driver. Mortgage paydown adds 6.2 points as the loan balance shrinks with each payment. Appreciation contributes 3.8 points, based on a 3.8% projected annual rate cited from market data for the area.

That appreciation figure is the smallest of the three components, which is actually a sign of durability. Deals that depend on appreciation to justify their returns are exposed when markets soften. Here, even if the property appreciates at zero, the cash flow and paydown alone account for over 40% of the projected return stack. The appreciation is additive, not load-bearing.

The 3.8% annual appreciation projection is modest relative to what some higher-priced markets project, but it's consistent with a market where the city median listing price sits at $310,000 — this property is priced at 40% of that median, which limits downside and leaves room for value capture if the market moves.

For a five-year hold, the return profile here is unusually well-diversified: strong current income, meaningful debt paydown, and a reasonable appreciation tailwind — without any single component carrying the whole thesis.

How it compares to nearby for-sale listings

Five for-sale comparables are available in the broader Washington, PA area, with a median price of $124,900 — nearly identical to this listing's $125,000 ask.

The comp set spans a wide price range, from $37,500 to $285,000, which reflects the heterogeneity of southwestern Pennsylvania inventory rather than a tight comparable cluster. What matters for this property: at $125,000 and 1,242 square feet, the implied price per square foot is roughly $101. The two higher-priced comps — a 1,411-square-foot property at $255,000 and a 2,076-square-foot property at $285,000 — price out at $181 and $137 per square foot respectively. On a per-square-foot basis, 51 Sycamore St is priced at a meaningful discount to those larger homes.

The $124,900 median comp price landing within $100 of the asking price suggests the list price is well-anchored to local market reality, not an aspirational number. There's no price reduction from the original listing, and 16 days on market is not a distress signal in this market segment.

The comp at 231 S Lincoln St — 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2,322 square feet at $124,900 — offers more square footage at essentially the same price, but the investment metrics on that property would need separate analysis. For a buyer focused on yield rather than space, the Sycamore St numbers stand on their own.

Rental demand in this zip

No active rental comparables were found in ZIP 15350 for 3-bedroom units, which limits direct market validation of the $1,569 estimated monthly rent.

The absence of rental comps in the zip is a real data gap. The $1,569 monthly rent estimate comes from automated valuation, not a confirmed lease or a cluster of active listings. That's worth sitting with before underwriting the deal at full projected rent.

A few things provide partial support. The property is already classified as non-owner occupied in public records, which suggests it has functioned as a rental. The Canon McMillan School District reference in the listing description points to a specific institutional anchor that tends to support tenant demand — families prioritize school district access when choosing rentals.

The practical stress test: even at a 10% rent haircut — call it $1,412 per month — the property still generates positive cash flow against $847 in monthly carrying costs. That's a $565 monthly surplus at a discounted rent assumption. The deal doesn't require the rent estimate to be exactly right to work; it needs the rent to be in the right neighborhood, and the structure of the market suggests it is.

An investor entering this property should plan to validate the rent estimate through local property managers before closing, but the financial cushion built into the deal absorbs meaningful variance without flipping negative.

Who this property suits + risks to weigh

This property fits a cash-flow-first investor comfortable with a small southwestern Pennsylvania market and willing to manage or hire out management on a single-family rental.

Best fit

The investor profile here is someone who wants current income, not a value-add project. The property is described as move-in ready, already non-owner occupied, and priced at a level where the down payment is modest and the monthly surplus is immediate. A first-time real estate investor looking for a low-complexity entry point, or an experienced landlord adding a high-yield asset to offset lower-yielding holdings, both fit the profile.

The 34.7% cash-on-cash return and 2.3 debt service coverage ratio mean the property can absorb a vacancy month or an unexpected repair without threatening the annual return. That kind of cushion is rare at this price point.

Risks to weigh

The rental comp gap is the primary underwriting risk. With zero active 3-bedroom rentals tracked in ZIP 15350, the $1,569 rent estimate is a projection, not a confirmed market rate. If actual achievable rent comes in 15-20% lower, the cash flow compresses but doesn't disappear — the math still works, it just works less dramatically.

The tax-assessed value of $50,000 against a $125,000 purchase price could trigger a reassessment over time, which would increase the property tax line above the current $131 per month. That's a known risk in markets where assessments lag market values.

Muse is a small community, and liquidity on exit will be thinner than in a major metro. The investment thesis here is income, not a quick flip — an investor who needs flexibility to exit within 12-18 months should weigh that carefully.