Rental numbers for ZIP 01860 (Merrimac, MA)
Negative cash flow at any interest rate with 25% down: the rent does not cover operating costs and principal.
- Gross yield
- 4.6%
- rent x 12 / price
- Est. cap rate
- 1.3%
- NOI / price
- Cash flow
- -$2,839/mo
- at 7.78%, 25% down
- Typical price
- $663,000
- Zillow ZHVI, Aug 2026
- HUD Fair Market Rent
- $2,560/mo
- HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, FY2026
The pro forma
Typical home, default assumptions
| Operator | Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent | $30,720 | ||
| Vacancy | $1,536 | ||
| Management | $2,335 | ||
| Property tax | $8,863 | ||
| Insurance | $2,561 | ||
| Maintenance | $6,629 | ||
| Net operating income | $8,796 | ||
| Loan payments | $42,867 | ||
| Cash flow | -$34,071 |
| Operator | Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | $662,918 | ||
| Down payment (25%) | $165,730 | ||
| Loan | $497,189 | ||
| Rate | 7.78% | ||
| Monthly payment | $3,572 | ||
| Cash in | $185,617 | ||
| Cash-on-cash return | -18.4% | ||
| DSCR | 0.21 | ||
| Break-even rate | none |
Assumptions
Change them in the calculator- Down payment25%
- A common minimum for investment-property and DSCR loans.
- Interest rate7.78%
- Freddie Mac 30-year 7.03% (week of 2026-09-24) + 0.75 point investor premium.
- Loan term30 years
- Fixed, fully amortising.
- Closing costs3% of price
- Added to cash invested.
- Insurance$2,561 a year
- NAIC 2023 average homeowners (HO-3) premium for Massachusetts, $2,134, x 1.2 for a landlord policy.
- Maintenance1% of price a year
- The 1% rule of thumb; older homes run higher.
- Vacancy5% of rent
- About 18 days empty a year.
- Management8% of collected rent
- A typical full-service fee; zero if you self-manage.
Trends
Five years to August 2026
- Price, 12 months
- +1.9%
- Rent, 12 months
- n/a
- no Zillow rent series here
- Rent minus price growth
- n/a
- positive means yields are improving
Show the numbers
| Month | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Aug 2021 | $519,570 |
| Aug 2022 | $567,793 |
| Aug 2023 | $582,554 |
| Aug 2024 | $626,259 |
| Aug 2025 | $650,325 |
| Aug 2026 | $662,918 |
Rent references
Two sources, never blended
| Source | Studio | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, FY2026 | $2,040 | $2,160 | $2,560 | $3,080 | $3,390 |
| Zillow observed rent, Aug 2026 | not published for this ZIP | ||||
HUD's Fair Market Rent is the 40th percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) for a standard unit, and it is what Section 8 vouchers pay against. Zillow's index tracks asking rents on listed homes. The two measure different things, so they are shown side by side and never averaged. HUD area: Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area.
Property tax
- Effective rate
- 1.34%
- ZIP area, ACS
- At the typical price
- $8,863/yr
Median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value, Census ACS 2020 to 2024. Essex County: 1.04%. Actual bills depend on the assessment, exemptions and any non-homestead rate.
Supply
- Permits per 1,000 households
- 3.4
- Essex County, last 12 months
- National percentile
- 38th
- among US counties
1,063 new housing units permitted in 2025-09 to 2026-08, Census Building Permits Survey. A high figure means more new supply competing for tenants.
Nearby ZIP codes
| ZIP | Distance | Typical price | Rent | Gross yield | Cash flow /mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03858Newton | 2.8 mi | $578,000 | $2,560* | 5.3% | -$2,341 |
| 01913Amesbury | 3.0 mi | $629,000 | $2,440 | 4.7% | -$2,734 |
| 01830Haverhill | 3.6 mi | $556,000 | $2,321 | 5.0% | -$2,116 |
| 01985West Newbury | 3.6 mi | $949,000 | $3,070* | 3.9% | -$4,340 |
| 03865Plaistow | 4.1 mi | $535,000 | $2,160* | 4.9% | -$2,364 |
| 03827East Kingston | 4.6 mi | $702,000 | $2,560* | 4.4% | -$3,184 |
| 01834Groveland | 5.9 mi | $714,000 | $2,090* | 3.5% | -$3,473 |
| 03848Kingston | 6.1 mi | $578,000 | $1,810* | 3.8% | -$2,915 |
* HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom (no Zillow rent index for that ZIP).
Run the numbers on a real listing
The calculator opens with this ZIP's figures. Swap in a listing's price and rent, your rate and your costs.
Open the calculator for 01860Questions
- Is 01860 good for rental property?
- On the typical home here, priced at $663,000 and renting for $2,560 a month (HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedroom, FY2026), the gross yield is 4.6% and the estimated cap rate is 1.3%. At a 7.78% investor rate with 25% down, estimated cash flow is -$2,839 a month. The median gross yield across the 8,418 ZIP codes with full Zillow data is 5.6%. These are figures for a typical property, not a judgement on any particular one.
- What is the typical rent in 01860?
- Zillow does not publish a rent index for 01860. HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom here is $2,560, the 40th percentile of gross rents and the basis for Section 8 payment standards.
- What is the property tax rate in 01860?
- The effective property tax rate is about 1.34% of value (median taxes paid divided by median home value, Census ACS 2020 to 2024). On the typical $663,000 home that is about $8,863 a year. Your bill depends on the assessment and local exemptions.
- What interest rate makes a rental in 01860 break even?
- With the default assumptions, no interest rate brings cash flow to zero: rent does not cover operating costs plus principal on a 30-year loan with 25% down.
- How fast are prices and rents changing in 01860?
- Over the 12 months to August 2026, the typical home value changed +1.9%.
Sources and method
- Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), mid tier, smoothed and seasonally adjusted
Zillow Research. Read: 2026-08.
Typical home value by ZIP, county, metro and state, and the price trend.
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2026
US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read: FY2026.
Rent by bedroom count for every ZIP. The rent used on tier B pages, and a reference on all pages. It is the 40th percentile gross rent, so it runs below market.
- American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (B25103 median real estate taxes paid, B25077 median home value, B11001 households)
US Census Bureau. Read: 2020 to 2024.
Effective property tax rate (median taxes paid divided by median value) by ZIP code tabulation area, county and state; households for the permits ratio.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 30-year fixed (FRED series MORTGAGE30US)
Freddie Mac via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Read: 2026-09-24.
The weekly 30-year rate. The site adds a disclosed investor premium to it for the loan payment.
- Building Permits Survey, county monthly files
US Census Bureau. Read: 2025-09 to 2026-08.
New housing units permitted in the last 12 months per 1,000 households, a supply-pressure signal.
- NAIC Homeowners Insurance Report, data for 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Read: 2023.
Average HO-3 homeowners premium by state, multiplied by 1.2 as a landlord-policy assumption.
Data: Zillow Research (ZHVI, ZORI), HUD, US Census Bureau, Freddie Mac. Every formula is on the methodology page.
Estimates from public data for a typical property. Not investment, tax or legal advice. Your property, financing and costs will differ.