Fix and Flip Calculator: The Most to Pay, and What You Make
By Ed Brancheau, Co-founder, SunnyNest Homes. Reviewed by the SunnyNest family team. Updated October 2026.
Type in what the house sells for fixed up, the repairs, your costs and the price you are thinking of paying. The calculator gives you two numbers: the most you should pay to hit your profit goal, and what you actually make at your price.
It runs the same formula we use to price the houses we buy from sellers, line for line. We would rather you check our math than take our word for it.
Your deal
Filled in with our worked example: a $450,000 Greater Phoenix house that needs paint, flooring and small fixes. Type over any number.
What it sells for fixed up, from recent sales of fixed-up homes nearby
Include any assignment fee, because it is part of your cost
Your line-item scope, before the cushion
We use 10%. Older houses earn more
Escrow, title and loan fees when you buy
Loan interest, property taxes, insurance and utilities
From closing on it to closing the resale
Commission, buyer credits, escrow, title and any transfer tax
The least you would do the deal for
Fill in our cost estimates from the ARV
Buying 2.5% of ARV. Holding: an 11% loan on 65% of ARV, the state's big-county property tax rate, $150 insurance and $400 utilities a month. Selling 8% plus transfer tax. Profit goal from our sliding scale: 15% up to $400,000, down to 10% at $1,000,000, never under $20,000.
The most you should pay
| After-repair value | $450,000 |
| Repairs | −$36,000 |
| Cushion for surprises | −$3,600 |
| Buying costs | −$11,250 |
| Holding, 6 months$3,396 a month | −$20,376 |
| Selling costs | −$36,000 |
| Profit goal | −$65,625 |
| Most to pay61.6% of ARV | $277,149 |
Your profit at $260,000
| After-repair value | $450,000 |
| Your price | −$260,000 |
| Repairs with the cushion | −$39,600 |
| Buying, holding and selling | −$67,626 |
| Profit18.4% of ARV | $82,774 |
| The 70% rule, for comparison70% of ARV minus repairs. No holding or profit math | $279,000 |
Your price is $17,149 under the most you should pay, so this deal clears your profit goal with room to spare. Check the ARV against real sold comps before you sign anything.
How do you calculate the most to pay for a fix and flip?
Start with the after-repair value, what the house sells for fixed up. Subtract the repairs plus a cushion for surprises, then buying, holding and selling costs, then the profit you want. What is left is the most you should pay. Pay more and the profit comes out of your pocket.
Most to pay = ARV − repairs − cushion − buying − holding − selling − profit goal
Here is the worked example the calculator opens with, a house at the Greater Phoenix median price:
| Line | Amount | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| After-repair value | $450,000 | Greater Phoenix median, September 2026 |
| Repairs | −$36,000 | 8 percent for paint, flooring and small fixes |
| Cushion for surprises | −$3,600 | 10 percent of the repairs |
| Buying costs | −$11,250 | 2.5 percent: escrow, title, loan fees |
| Holding, 6 months | −$20,376 | $3,396 a month: loan interest, taxes, insurance, utilities |
| Selling costs | −$36,000 | 8 percent: commission, buyer credits, escrow and title |
| Profit goal | −$65,625 | About 14.6 percent, from our sliding scale |
| Most to pay | $277,149 | About 62 percent of ARV |
Profit at a given price is the same line with your price in place of the profit goal. At $260,000, that is $450,000 − $260,000 − $39,600 − $67,626 = $82,774.
What is the 70% rule for flipping houses?
The 70% rule says pay no more than 70 percent of the after-repair value, minus repairs. It is a quick filter, because it skips holding costs, the state's taxes and your actual profit goal. It works best near the middle of the market and drifts off at both ends.
Run it next to the full formula, with the same 8 percent repairs and 6 months held, and the drift shows up quickly:
- A $200,000 house in Texas: the 70% rule says pay up to $124,000. The full formula says $119,448. Texas property tax and six months of loan interest are a big share of a small house, so the rule lets you pay too much, and you would make $25,448 instead of your $30,000 goal.
- An $850,000 house in California: the rule says $527,000. The full formula says $552,856. On a bigger house a fixed profit goal is a smaller share of the price, so the rule is too strict and you would lose deals to buyers who did the math.
Use the 70% rule to sort a list in a minute. Use the full formula before you sign anything.
What costs do most flip calculators leave out?
Most leave out the months of holding costs, a cushion for repair surprises and the buyer credits on the resale. Several of the top results are lenders, so they count the loan carefully and leave the rest light. On a six-month flip, holding alone can run past $20,000.
- Holding costs. Interest, property taxes, insurance and utilities for every month from buying it to closing the resale. Count the months to sell, not just the months to fix.
- A repair cushion. Walls hide things. We add 10 percent to every scope, and more on an old house.
- The cost of selling. Commission, credits the buyer asks for, escrow and title. Ours runs 8 percent of the price before any transfer tax.
- Your profit, as a line. Treat profit as a cost you refuse to cut. Otherwise every surprise comes out of it.
How do you estimate the after-repair value?
Pull recent sales of fixed-up homes close to the house, about the same size, age and style, sold in the last three to six months. Use what they sold for, not what they listed for. The ARV is the number that moves the answer most, so check it twice.
A good comp is within half a mile in a city and a little farther in the country, within about 20 percent of the square feet, with the same bed and bath count. Throw out the one that sold to a relative or after a bidding war. If three solid comps disagree, use the lowest one, because the market will not pay you for optimism.
How much profit should a house flip make?
Our own goal is 15 percent of the after-repair value up to $400,000, sliding down to 10 percent at $1,000,000 and 8 percent above $2,000,000, and never less than $20,000. Below that, one bad surprise turns the flip into unpaid work. Set your own floor and stick to it.
A dollar floor matters more on cheap houses. Fifteen percent of a $120,000 house is $18,000, and one big surprise behind a wall can eat most of that. That is why our estimate never sets the goal under $20,000.
Is fix and flip still a good investment?
It is when you buy right, and the price you pay decides it more than anything you do after. A flip bought above the most-to-pay number has to be rescued by a rising market. That is why the calculator puts your price and the max side by side.
The houses we put under contract come with our repair best guess and the comps we used, so you can run them through this calculator before you ask to see one. How buying an assigned contract from us works.
Questions flippers ask us
Do you save what I type into the calculator?
No. The math runs in your browser and nothing you type is stored or sent to us. We only see your information if you choose to join the deal-alert list at the bottom of the page.
Should the purchase price include the assignment fee?
Yes. When you buy an assigned contract, the fee is part of what the house costs you, so add it to the price. Our fee is written on the closing statement, so you and your lender see the full number before you close.
Do I need an LLC to flip houses?
No law requires one to buy a house. Many flippers use one to keep the business apart from their personal assets, and lenders often ask for one. We are not attorneys or tax preparers, so ask a real estate attorney and a CPA what fits your state.
Why does the calculator use an 11% loan?
It is the rate our own method assumes for a short-term flip loan on 65% of the after-repair value. Your lender's quote is better. Put your real monthly interest, taxes, insurance and utilities in the holding cost box.
Does this include income tax on the profit?
No. A flip held under a year is usually taxed as ordinary income, and the rate depends on you. The profit shown is before income tax, so ask a CPA what you would keep.
Get deals that fit your buy box
Free. Tell us your counties, price range and how you buy, and we email you only when a house under contract fits. Never a phone call.
The sources behind this calculator
- Cost estimates, the profit scale and the 10% repair cushion (SunnyNest Homes area max-offer method, the same formula behind our seller offers)
- Property tax defaults: Maricopa County 0.44%, Harris County 1.50%, San Diego County 0.67% (2024 effective rates) (Tax Foundation, Property Taxes by State and County, 2026)
- Greater Phoenix median sale price of $450,000, September 2026, used as the example ARV (Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS), STAT report)
- California documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 (Rev. & Tax. Code 11911)