Rehab

What will this property cost to fix?

A renovation decision is really two decisions: what the work costs, and what the finished property is worth. Getting the first one right and the second one wrong is the most common way a good-looking project loses money.

Each question below carries the method and the calculator. For a specific property, documented findings — inspection reports, contractor bids, photographs — replace the estimates one by one as they arrive.

What this is
The renovation decision ecosystem — what the work costs, what it returns, and what it costs to carry the property while it happens.
Who it is for
Flippers, BRRRR investors, buyers pricing an inspection report, and owners deciding what to renovate before selling.
The problem
Renovation budgets fail in the same three places every time: the scope grows, the schedule slips, and the holding costs of the extra months were never in the budget at all.
What happens next
Estimate the work here, then upload the inspection report or contractor bids so the estimate becomes documented, priced condition evidence inside Property Intelligence™.

How much will the repairs cost?

Estimate by system rather than by square foot: roof, heating and cooling, electrical, plumbing, windows, kitchen, baths, flooring and exterior, each priced from local bids. Then add a contingency of ten to twenty percent — twenty on any property built before 1978 or with unknown mechanical history.

For one specific address

Upload the inspection report and each finding is priced, sorted by urgency, and carried into the recommendation for the address.

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What will it be worth when the work is done?

After-repair value is set by what comparable renovated properties sold for nearby — same size, same finish level, same area. It is never the purchase price plus the renovation budget.

For one specific address

We assemble renovated comparables for the specific address and state how confident the resulting value is.

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What does it cost to hold while I renovate?

Holding costs are loan interest, taxes, insurance, utilities and security for every month of the project plus every month it takes to sell or lease. On a six-month project they routinely exceed the cost of the kitchen.

For one specific address

Property Intelligence carries the real tax and insurance figures for the address into the holding-cost line rather than a placeholder.

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Is the renovation worth doing at all?

A renovation is worth doing when the supportable after-repair value exceeds purchase price, total repair cost, holding cost and selling cost with margin left over. If the margin depends on the top of the value range, the project has no room for the surprise that always arrives.

For one specific address

The brief states the margin, what it depends on, and which single assumption would most change the answer.

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Related decisions

How this decision works in our markets

Last reviewed August 3, 2026. Educational information, not financial or legal advice.