ARV Calculator
Estimate a property's after repair value from comparable sales, and the maximum offer under the 70% rule after repair costs. Work out the after repair value from up to five comps by price per square foot, with adjustments, or type an ARV you already have, then add the purchase price and costs to see the projected profit on the flip.
Your numbers
Living area once the repairs are done.
Optional. + when the comp is worse than the subject after repairs, − when it is better (a garage, an extra bath, a bigger lot).
Optional.
Optional.
The contractor's bid or your scope, with any contingency.
70% of the ARV is a common investor rule of thumb, not a law or a lender rule. Change it to test your own.
Optional: for the projected profit.
Optional.
Optional. Loan interest, taxes, insurance, utilities.
Optional. Agent commission and closing costs on the sale, as a percent of the sale price.
After repair value (ARV)
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- Average price per sq ft from the comps
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- Maximum offer (70% rule)
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An estimate from the numbers you typed. Not financial, tax or legal advice: an appraiser or agent's opinion of value, contractor bids and your lender's terms decide the real numbers.
The calculation runs in your browser and ParrotNotes does not store your numbers. They sit in the page address so you can bookmark or share the result.
How the ARV is worked out from comps
Pick recent sales of homes like the subject will be once it is fixed: same area, similar size, age, beds and baths, already renovated. Fannie Mae's guide for appraisers says comparable sales should have similar physical and legal characteristics, that sales from within the neighborhood are the best indicator of value, and asks for at least three closed sales, as a rule closed within the last 12 months.
Adjust each sale for what differs: if a comp has a garage the subject will not have, subtract what the garage is worth; if it lacks something the subject will have, add. Each adjusted price ÷ its square feet is its price per square foot. The ARV is the average price per square foot × the subject's square feet, and the lowest and highest comps give a range.
Worked example: a 1,500 sq ft house. Comp 1 sold for $300,000 at 1,400 sq ft: $214.29. Comp 2 sold for $320,000 at 1,550 sq ft but has a garage, adjusted −$10,000: $310,000 ÷ 1,550 = $200.00. Comp 3 sold for $285,000 at 1,450 sq ft with a smaller lot, adjusted +$5,000: $290,000 ÷ 1,450 = $200.00. The average is $204.76 a square foot, so the ARV is $307,142.86, in a range of $300,000 to $321,428.57.
The 70% rule and the maximum offer
Maximum allowable offer = ARV × rule percent − repair costs. On the example, $307,142.86 × 0.70 − $45,000 = $170,000. The 30% left over has to pay for buying, holding and selling the house and leave the profit, which is why the rule is a quick screen and not a price.
The 70% is a rule of thumb investors pass around, not a law and not a lender rule. Some offer less on riskier houses and some more in markets where houses sell fast. Type your own percent and see how the offer moves, then check the deal with the profit fields.
Projected profit on the flip
Add the price you expect to pay and the costs the 70% rule leaves out: closing costs on the purchase, holding costs while you own it (loan interest and fees, property tax, insurance, utilities) and selling costs as a percent of the sale price (agent commission and closing costs on the sale). Profit = ARV − purchase − repairs − closing − holding − selling costs.
On the example, buying for $165,000 with $4,000 of closing costs, $9,000 of holding costs and 8% selling costs ($24,571.43) brings the total cost to $247,571.43 and leaves $59,571.43, or 24.1% of the total cost. The home sale proceeds calculator works out the selling costs line by line.
What this calculator does not do
It averages price per square foot, which works when the comps are close to the subject in size and style. It does not replace an appraisal or an agent's comparative market analysis, does not know your market, and cannot check a contractor's bid. Repairs often run over, so many investors add a contingency to the repair figure. Income tax on the profit is left out.
Sources, read on 2026-10-27:
- HUD, FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1, Glossary (last revised 8/12/2026): "After Improved Value"
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B4-1.3-08, Comparable Sales
- Bob Vila, The 70 Percent Rule in House Flipping (updated September 2, 2022)
Pricing the comps? The price per square foot calculator compares listings side by side, the home sale proceeds calculator works out the selling costs line by line, and the cap rate calculator checks the numbers if you rent the house out instead of selling.
More for real estate agents and investors: Property inspection notes by voice, Tips for new real estate agents, Open house follow-up emails.
The repair list comes from the walkthrough
The repair costs start with what you see on the walkthrough. Record it in ParrotNotes and get a structured note, a summary and the action items, so the scope of work and the questions for the contractor are written down. Free for 100 minutes of recording a month.
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