Free tool
House flip calculator: fix and flip profit, ROI and holding costs
A house flip calculator subtracts purchase, rehab, financing, holding and selling costs from the after-repair value to show profit and ROI. Wholesalers use it to see a deal through their buyer’s eyes and price the contract so the buyer still profits.
Updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere. The percentages are example inputs, so change them to your market.
Estimated profit
$34,600
17.3% of ARV · 23.2% return on $149,400 cash in
| Purchase price | $110,000 |
| Buying closing costs | $2,200 |
| Rehab | $30,000 |
| Financing (interest + points) | $0 |
| Holding costs | $7,200 |
| Selling costs | $16,000 |
| Total cost | $165,400 |
- Max purchase for your target profit
- $119,412
- 70% rule max (ARV × 70% − rehab)
- $110,000
At $110,000 this deal clears the $25,000 target. Wholesaling it? Your contract price plus your fee has to stay at or under $119,412 for a buyer who wants that profit.
How to use the flip calculator
- Start with ARV. Use sold comps of renovated homes nearby, or get it from the ARV calculator.
- Enter the purchase price and rehab budget. Price the rehab from a walkthrough or a contractor bid, plus a contingency.
- Add the costs of owning it: buying closing costs, the months you’ll hold it and your monthly holding costs, and any loan.
- Set selling costs and a target profit. The calculator shows the profit, the ROI on your cash, the most you could pay to still hit your target, and the 70% rule number for comparison.
What goes into the cost of flipping a house
Every flip has the same six buckets of cost. Miss one and the profit on paper never shows up at closing.
| Cost | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | What you pay the seller (or the wholesaler’s contract price plus their fee). |
| Buying costs | Title, escrow, recording and lender closing costs when you buy. |
| Rehab | Materials, labor, permits, dumpsters and a contingency for what the walls hide. |
| Financing | Interest for the months the loan is out, plus points and lender fees. |
| Holding | Property taxes, insurance, utilities, HOA dues, lawn and security while you own it. |
| Selling | Agent commissions, seller closing costs, concessions and transfer taxes where they apply. |
What are holding costs in real estate?
Holding costs, also called carrying costs, are what a property costs you every month you own it: property taxes, insurance, utilities, HOA dues, maintenance and loan interest. They’re easy to underestimate because they depend on time, not on the house. A rehab that runs two months long or a listing that sits adds two more months of holding costs, so put a realistic hold in the calculator, from purchase to the sale closing, not just the rehab.
To estimate them, divide the annual property tax and insurance by 12, add average utilities and any HOA dues, then add the monthly interest on your loan. Enter the first part as monthly holding costs and the loan in the financing fields.
The 70% rule check
The calculator shows ARV × 70% − rehab next to your numbers. It’s a quick rule of thumb for the most a flipper should pay; the full cost stack above is the real test. On a cheap house the 70% rule can leave too little profit in dollars, and on an expensive one it can be stricter than buyers actually are.
Using it as a wholesaler: price the contract for your buyer
Your buyer runs this exact math before they take your deal. Put in their likely financing, hold and target profit, and the calculator’s “max purchase for your target profit” is the most your buyer can pay. Your contract price plus your assignment fee has to fit under it. If it doesn’t, the fee is too big or the contract price is too high. Track those numbers on each deal in Find, where ARV, rehab, MAO, assignment fee and EMD sit on every deal and the spread is calculated for you.
Estimating rehab costs
Rehab moves profit dollar for dollar, so build the budget room by room from a walkthrough: roof, mechanicals (HVAC, electrical, plumbing), kitchen, baths, flooring, paint, windows and exterior. Get a contractor bid on anything structural or system-level, and add a contingency for what you can’t see. Photos alone hide the expensive surprises.
Flip calculator or house flipping spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet lets you add line items for a specific rehab; this calculator gives you the whole deal on one screen in seconds. Use the calculator to decide whether a deal is worth a walkthrough, then a detailed budget once it is. Use the browser’s print option to save a copy of a deal.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate profit on a house flip?
Start with the after-repair value and subtract everything the flip costs: purchase price, buying closing costs, rehab, financing (interest and points), holding costs for every month you own it, and selling costs such as commissions. What's left is the profit before taxes.
How do you calculate ROI on a house flip?
Divide the profit by the cash you put in. If you financed part of the deal, cash in is everything you paid out of pocket (down payment, closing costs, rehab not covered by the loan, interest, points and holding costs), so leverage raises ROI while also adding cost and risk.
What costs do people forget when flipping a house?
Holding costs (taxes, insurance, utilities and loan interest for every month the house sits), buying and selling closing costs, lender points, permit fees and a contingency for repairs you can't see on the walkthrough. Each extra month of holding cuts straight into profit.
Keep every deal’s numbers in one place
Book a 20-minute demo to see ARV, rehab, MAO and assignment fee tracked on each deal, from the first call to the assigned contract.