Ask vs MAO in Houston: This Week's Public Listing Check

Public Houston listing check: ask vs illustrative MAO on a 77033 address, with live FMR link. Illustrative ARV/MAO Splinter-signed. Paste the address on DealBeast.

Ask can look cheap on a south Houston ZIP and still sit over what a 70% buyer can pay. This drop walks one public listing, shows ask vs an illustrative MAO, and links live HUD FMR. It is not an MLS census and not a live DealBeast product export. ARV, repairs, and MAO below are illustrative and Splinter-signed for this drop.

Public listing (ask only is live public data): 5535 Flamingo Dr, Houston, TX 77033 MLS #72757679 · Listed around $120,000 (Zillow public ask re-checked publish day, unchanged) · 3 bed / 2 bath · ~1,185 sqft · built 1952 · marketed as-is / investor special · ~41 days on Zillow at publish re-check.

The table (ask public; ARV/MAO illustrative)

FieldValueSource / label
Public ask$120,000Zillow / HAR public listing
ZIP77033Public
Illustrative ARV$185,000Illustrative - Splinter signed
Illustrative repairs$55,000Illustrative - Splinter signed (as-is scope; walk still needed on a live file)
Illustrative buyer MAO$74,500(ARV × 0.70) − repairs = ($185,000 × 0.70) − $55,000
Gap (ask − MAO)+$45,500Ask over illustrative buyer MAO
Illustrative max contract @ $10k fee$64,500Buyer MAO − assignment fee
HUD FMR (2BR / 3BR)See live pageDo not invent - FMR ZIP 77033 (FY2026 SAFMR live 200)

Why ask under a "retail hope" still fails buyer MAO

$120k on a 3/2 in 77033 looks like a wholesale headline. Finished ARV hopes float higher. The buyer does not pay hope. They pay:

Buyer MAO = (ARV × 0.70) − repairs

With the illustrative inputs above, buyer MAO is $74,500. Ask is about $45.5k over. A $10k under-ask offer still leaves you roughly $35k over MAO. That is a cut or pass, not a fee day.

Treat ARV, repairs, and MAO as labelled illustrative inputs. Public ask re-checked publish day: still $120,000.

Call / cut / pass on this file

    1. Call only if live comps clear a buyer MAO at or above ask (after fee).
    2. Cut if DOM and as-is condition support a real drop sized to the hole.
    3. Pass if repairs stay heavy and ask will not move.
DOM here is a soft signal (~41 days at publish re-check). It does not raise MAO. Glossary: DOM.

Houston context

Framework page (no invented board totals): Houston Wholesale Pulse. Tactic page: ask vs MAO. Formula: MAO formula. Defs: MAO, ARV, 70% rule, Section 8 FMR.

Calcs: MAO calculator · ARV calculator · wholesale calculator · rental property calculator

Methodology footnote

    1. Public ask / beds / baths / sqft / DOM: from the public Zillow listing URL above. Re-verified publish day: ask still $120,000; DOM ~41 days.
    2. ARV, repairs, MAO: illustrative, Splinter-signed for this drop. Not a live DealBeast product export. Not an appraisal.
    3. FMR: cite only the live /fmr/77033 page. Do not invent bedroom rents in CMS.
    4. Not investment advice. Not off-market. No private seller data.

FAQ

Is this Houston listing a wholesale deal?

Not on the illustrative MAO above. Ask $120k vs illustrative buyer MAO $74.5k is a large hole. Live comps may change that. Run the address before you call.

Why link FMR on a flip-style as-is listing?

Hold or voucher buyers still ask for a rent floor. FMR is that floor. Price still clears or fails on ask vs MAO first.

Where do I run the live product math?

Paste the address on DealBeast for ARV, MAO, and ask vs MAO in one screen.

Paste your address

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