Again several factors at play but just providing information based on your criteria.

Without diving so deep into the weeds, the biggest factors I tell people who want to start out passively are:1.

That is $19,200 annual profit so you would be -$3,200 in 1 year with no factoring of breakage and maintenance.

When you say the agent is not "running the comps correctly," what specific factors might they be overlooking that I should pay attention to?

That's a factor to consider if you have children and want them to be in a good school district.  

Pay attention to whether the room is a primary suite (your own bathroom) or shared bathroom, how many roommates, etc. as those would factor in to how much someone would be willing to pay.

Considering all the factors in today's real estate market, how would you guys recommend investing this money? 

However, this wouldn’t typically happen directly because of the appraisal issues themselves, unless factors like low market rents or a lower-than-expected appraised value shifted your loan into a different pricing tier.

Here are key factors to consider when searching for a reliable broker.A good private money broker plays a pivotal role in facilitating real estate investments, serving as a bridge between investors seeking capital and private lenders willing to finance those investments.

Since yours is only water and heat I would recommend you charge 50% and lower the rent cost rather than factoring it into the rent price.