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936 Westminster St

Duplex · 2 units: 2 bed / 1 bath ×2 unit split estimated · 1,950 sq ft

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

Overpriced

Photos, via Realtor.com.

Asking price
$340,000
2 units · $170K per unit
Monthly cash flow
−$700
at 20% down, 7%
Estimated rent
$2,600/mo
medium confidence · 8 rentals within 0.75 mi
Break-even price
$208,449
where cash flow hits $0

Adjust the numbers See the full breakdown

The numbers

Down payment %
Offer $
Management
Interest rate %
Edit rents, costs and assumptions

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

The deal

Price
$340,000
Cash to close
$78,200
Price per unit
$170,000
GRM
10.9

Each month

Cash flow
−$700/mo
Cash-on-cash
−10.7%
Cap rate
3.9%
DSCR
0.61×

Break-even

Price that breaks even
$208,449
Rent that breaks even
$3,509/mo

Long run

Year 30: property vs stocks
$813K vs $1.04M
Cash flow turns positive
year 21

Monthly

Monthly breakdown

Rent$2,600
Vacancy (6%)−$156
Collected$2,444
Property tax Public record−$453
Insurance Estimate−$210
Water, sewer, trash Estimate−$170
Lawn care ($120 × 6 mo ÷ 12)−$60
Repairs (8% of rent)−$208
Capital reserve (9% of rent)−$234
Net operating income$1,109
Mortgage (principal + interest)−$1,810
Cash flow−$700
Principal paid down (equity, not cash)$230

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

How those totals add up

If you buy this building$812,888
Your equity when you sell
$775,753

Sells for $825,269 (value up 3% a year), minus 6% selling cost ($49,516). Rent paid down $272,000 of loan.

Rental profits, invested at 7%
$37,134

$30,246 of cash flow over 30 years, plus what it earned invested.

Same money in stocks$1,040,116
Cash to close, invested at 7%
$595,278

$78,200 put into an index fund instead of the down payment and closing costs.

Monthly shortfalls, invested
$444,838

$91,667 you'd have paid in while the building lost money, invested instead.

Stocks come out $227,228 ahead after 30 years.

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.

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

This propertyStocks at 7%

Year 30 (loan paid off): property $813K, stocks $1.04M. Stocks win.

Comparable rentals

The closest rental listings with each unit's bedroom count, as of 2026-10-06. The estimate is the median asking rent of every rental we found nearby (the count is shown for each); houses are left out. Asking rents from Realtor.com rental listings, not signed leases.

2 bed estimate $1,300/mo · range $1,050–$1,500 · 8 rentals within 0.75 mi

AddressRentBd / BaSq ftDistanceListedType
953 Desoto St, Saint Paul $950 2 / 1 650 0.2 mi 2026-02-12 Apartment
1039-1041 Arkwright St, Saint Paul $1,445 2 / 1 1,100 0.2 mi 2026-09-19 Apartment
904-906 Burr St, Saint Paul $999 2 / 1 900 0.3 mi 2025-01-11 Apartment
685 Burr St, Saint Paul $1,450 2 / 1 750 0.6 mi 2026-04-08 Apartment
1205 Westminster St, Saint Paul $1,120 2 / 1 710 0.6 mi 2025-01-03 Apartment
468 Beaumont St E Unit 4, Saint Paul $1,350 2 / 1 800 0.6 mi 2026-07-10 Apartment
665 Bedford St Unit 2, Saint Paul $1,400 2 / 1 800 0.7 mi 2023-12-20 Duplex triplex
1280 Westminster St, Saint Paul $1,042 2 / 1 850 0.7 mi 2026-03-03 Apartment

On the maps, this property and comparable rentals. Comparable rentals and rent estimate: Realtor.com rental listings. Rents are asking rents from listings; check them against the actual leases.

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 936 WESTMINSTER ST (dataset last updated mid-2025)
  • medium$1,628 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 292922320107: special assessments (payable 2026) = $1,627.68
  • mediumAsking is $131,551 above the price where cash flow breaks even ($208,449) at the default scenario. Based on: Derived: price $340,000 vs. break-even $208,449

Opportunities

  • The seller bought for $68,000 in May 2022, so they can take a lower offer and still come out well ahead. Public record: Ramsey County parcel 292922320107: last sale 2022-05-13, $68,000

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)$5,434
Insurance / yr Estimateestimate. from units, square feet and age; get a quote$2,516
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. built 1883: +1 pt capital reserve8% / 9%

Price history Realtor.com

On the market since 2026-10-01 (4 days); last sold for $45,000 on 2022-05-16; listed for rent at $1,350/mo on 2025-12-23.

DateEventPrice
Listed$340,000
Removed$340,000
Removed—
Listed for rent$1,350/mo
Removed—
Rent changed$1,350/mo
Listed for rent$1,300/mo
Sold$45,000
Listed$45,000
Sold public record$162,750
Sold public record$112,341
Sold$119,900
Price changed$119,900
Listed$124,900
Removed$97,000
Relisted$97,000
Removed$97,000
Price changed$97,000
Price changed$109,000
Listed$119,900
Sold public record$70,000
Sold public record$50,000

County record Public record

Recorded astwo family dwelling - up/dwn
Living units2
Year built1883
Market value (2026)$304,500
Property tax, payable 2026$5,434
Special assessments$1,628
Homesteadno
Last sale2022-05-13 · $68,000

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 35E;US 10, about 265 m away.

Crime in Payne – Phalen

1,695 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.