2519 S Vista Ave
- Price$399,900
- Beds / Baths4 / 1
- Sqft1,350
- Lot7,405 sqft (0.17 ac)
- Built1955
- HOANone
- Avg drive16 min
- School zoneBoise
Drive times 16 min avg
- Illya's house 17 min 9.6 mi
- Jay & Debby's house 22 min 8.1 mi
- Boise High School 8 min 3.3 mi
- Idaho Fine Arts Academy 15 min 10.3 mi
Driving estimates via OSRM (free-flow, no traffic) — routes drawn on the map above. Average across 4 landmarks.
Valuation & tax history
| Year | Assessed value | Property tax |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | $3,131.74 |
| 2024 | — | $3,077.88 |
| 2023 | — | $2,830.76 |
| 2022 | — | $3,114.72 |
| 2021 | — | $3,213.58 |
Idaho has no cap on assessment increases — assessed value (and therefore tax) drifts up year over year. Budget for the drift.
Run June 7, 2026 · rate 6.5% (Freddie 6.48% 6/4, Bankrate 6.53% 6/7/2026) · cash fund $105k
(Note: second Vista Ave property — distinct from 1704 S Vista Ave in eval-vista.md.)
Listing facts (Zillow)
- ~$296/sqft
- Has A/C
County record — Ada County Assessor (the truth)
- LLC owner (investor/flip), NO homeowner’s exemption — push for a rigorous inspection (updates vs. lipstick).
- Total levy: 0.009216691 (~0.92%)
- List price is ~$74k (23%) ABOVE assessed value — priced well over market for a flip.
The 2025 bill ($3,131.74) is ~0.94% of the $325,800 assessed value → un-exempted (consistent with LLC ownership). Eric as owner-occupant gets the exemption: min(50% × $325,800, $125,000) = $125,000 → taxable $200,800 × 0.92% ≈ $1,851/yr ≈ $154/mo (a ~$1,280/yr saving vs. the current investor bill). FILE FOR THE EXEMPTION after closing.
Affordability — VERDICT: FITS $2,500 at clean 20% down (the old PMI squeeze is gone)
At the old $90k fund clean 20% was ~$2k out of reach and this got forced into PMI. At $105k it fits clean, no PMI.
20% down (no PMI) — the only structure now needed
- 20% down = $79,980 → loan $319,920
- P&I at 6.5%: ~$2,022/mo
- Property tax (owner-occupant w/ exemption — exemption currently OFF / LLC owner; Eric recaptures ~$1,280/yr by re-filing after closing): ~$154/mo
- Insurance: ~$110/mo
- HOA: $0
- PMI: $0
- All-in: ~$2,286/mo → ~$214/mo UNDER $2,500 (and ~$286 OVER the old $2,000). Clears $2,500. ✓
Cash — now fits. $79,980 down + ~$11,997 closing (3%) ≈ $91,977 — inside the $105k fund, leaving ~$13.0k of cushion. No PMI, no squeeze.
Flags
- 4 bd / 1 ba — most bedrooms on the board, but a single bathroom for four bedrooms is a serious livability + resale limiter. Is there room/plumbing to add a second bath? Budget for it if so.
- LLC owner = flip — get a rigorous inspection; flips hide deferred maintenance behind fresh paint.
- Listed 23% over assessed — buying well over market; no equity cushion.
- Vista Ave busy arterial — confirm noise/traffic on this block.
- Built 1955 — check the usual older-home systems.
Bottom line
The payment now clears (~$2,286, ~$214 under $2,500) at clean 20% down with ~$13k cash to spare — so the verdict shifts off the budget and onto value and the layout. It’s a flip (LLC owner) listed 23% / $74k over assessed — buying well over the county’s market read, no equity cushion — with 4 bedrooms but only 1 bath, a serious livability/resale limiter (is there room/plumbing to add a second?). It sits on the busy Vista arterial (confirm noise on the block), and as an LLC flip needs a rigorous inspection plus an exemption re-file after closing (~$1,280/yr recapture). The bones are interesting — most bedrooms on the board, decent $/sqft, large-ish lot. But between the 23% overpricing and the one-bath-for-four-bedrooms problem, this is still a pass at list. Worth a conversation only in the mid-$300s near the $326k assessed, and only if the one-bath can be solved.