House Flipping Glossary
Essential terms every house flipper should know.
Acquisition
Purchase Price
The price you paid (or will pay) for the property itself. Do not include closing costs, financing fees, or other expenses.
Purchase Price
The price you paid (or will pay) to acquire the property.
Purchase Costs
Purchase Closing Costs
All costs to close on the purchase: title insurance, attorney fees, recording fees, inspections, etc.
Financing Costs
Loan-related costs: origination fees, points, appraisal for the lender, etc.
Closing (Buy)
All costs to close on the purchase: title, escrow, loan fees, inspections, etc.
Renovation Budget
Renovation Budget
Total estimated cost for all repairs and improvements to the property.
Budget vs. Default
Compares your custom budget to the national average costs for selected renovations.
Renovation
Total of all renovation category budgets: materials, labor, permits, etc.
Budget Remaining
Original Budget minus Total Spent. When this hits zero, you've spent your entire renovation budget.
Burn Rate
Total Spent ÷ Days Active. Days start at the earliest receipt date or budget-item spend date — not the day the project was created.
Categories Over Budget
Main budget categories where actual spending exceeds planned. Only counts top-level categories, not individual sub-items.
Estimated Exhaustion
Budget Remaining ÷ Burn Rate. Projects when your budget will run out at your current pace.
Spend Pace
Daily spend vs the daily amount that would finish the budget on time. Above 100% means the reno budget may run out early. Holding cost risk = those extra hold days × (monthly holding ÷ 30).
Receipt Pulse
Week-over-week spending trend based on receipts. Positive means spending increased vs last week. Track this to spot spending spikes.
Overhead Drag
Hidden costs from sales tax and credit card fees eating into your budget. These add up - 10% tax + 3% CC fee means $1,000 in materials costs $1,130.
Done Spending
Budget items marked as closed — work is complete, no more spending expected. Closing items locks in savings.
Still Active
Budget items still open — work in progress or not yet started. "Remaining" shows how much unspent budget is left in these items.
Confirmed Savings
Sum of under-budget amounts from every closed item that came in below plan. Only counts items where Actual < Planned.
Available to Repurpose
Confirmed Savings minus any overruns from closed items. This is the net amount you can redirect to cover overruns elsewhere.
Items Closed
Budget items you've marked as done. Each sub-item counts separately. Closing locks in your actual costs.
Remaining Exposure
Open Items Budgeted minus Open Items Spent. This is unspent money in items still in progress — your risk.
Original Budget
Sum of all planned renovation category costs plus estimated sales tax.
Best Case
Closed items actual + open items actual spent so far. Your minimum if open items don't spend another dollar.
Projected Final
Closed items actual + open items budgeted. What you'll spend if open items use their full budget.
Breakdown by Status
Splits your budget into closed (done) and open (in progress) items. Shows budgeted, actual, and savings for each group.
Contingency Buffer
Percentage added to your renovation budget for unexpected costs and overruns. Industry standard is 10-20% for house flips.
Latest national move
The last time an admin scaled the live rehab book from FRED construction-materials PPI. One apply, not the 24-month spark on a category card.
Current rehab book
The live national price list new projects use (version + date). Existing projects keep the book they were created with.
Rehab materials index
A 100-based level for the live book on a 24-month FRED materials spine. 106 means about 6% above the 100 starting point after compounded applies — not a dollar amount.
Materials index history
Each FRED row is a quarterly materials index level (100-based). A Current book row also shows the apply % used to publish that version. 91.8 → 92.0 is +0.2 points, not 92% inflation.
Category cost spark
The dollar figure is mid-range national book at 1,500 sqft. The spark and 24-mo % are that trade’s FRED commodity PPI, not the national book-apply % in the hero.
Market vs US book
State and city badges are labor/cost level vs the US book (multipliers), not a different inflation series. CA +33% means that market’s book is 33% above US, not that FRED rose 33% there.
FRED — Federal Reserve Economic Data
Free public data from the St. Louis Fed. We use their construction-cost indexes to show whether rehab prices have been rising or falling.
Holding Costs
Hold Time
Months of renovation, listing, and closing used for holding *costs*. Not the tax clock. If you already own the house, set purchase date on the project.
Property Taxes
Auto-estimated: Purchase Price × your state's effective tax rate ÷ 12. Large on high-value properties — that math is correct. Edit to match your county's actual bill.
Insurance
Auto-estimated from your state's average monthly insurance cost. Rental strategy adds 15% for a landlord/vacant policy. Edit to match your actual quote.
Utilities
Auto-estimated from your state's average monthly utilities. Rental strategy uses 25% of the state average (tenant typically covers the rest). Edit to match actual costs.
Loan Interest
Auto-estimated from purchase price. Flip: 70% LTV × 10%/yr ÷ 12. Rental: 75% LTV × 7.5%/yr ÷ 12. Set to $0 if paying cash. Edit to match your actual loan terms.
One-Time Charges
Costs you pay once during the project, not monthly. Examples: permits, inspections, dumpster rental, utility deposits.
Holding Costs
Monthly holding cost × number of project months. Costs while you own the property.
Monthly Holding Cost
Sum of all monthly expenses while you own the property: mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities.
Project Duration
Total expected days based on renovation category timelines. Completed vs remaining based on closed budget categories and completed tasks.
What-If Duration Adjustment
Slide to see how adding or removing project days affects your total holding costs.
Adjusted Duration
Your project duration plus or minus the What-If adjustment days.
Adjusted Holding Cost
Total holding costs based on the adjusted duration (baseline + What-If adjustment).
Total Holding Costs (Baseline)
Your planned total holding costs: (Project Days ÷ 30.44) × Monthly Holding Cost + One-Time Costs.
Monthly Burn (Holding Costs)
The total cash flowing out of your pocket each month while you own the property — taxes, insurance, utilities, and interest combined.
Total Holding Costs
Monthly Burn multiplied by your hold timeline — the total cash outflow from owning the property before it sells or stabilizes.
HOA — Homeowners Association
A neighborhood group that charges dues and sets rules (paint, rentals, landscaping). Dues are a real monthly cost on the deal.
Selling Costs
Broker/Agent Fees
Real estate agent commissions, typically 5-6% of sale price split between buyer and seller agents.
Seller Closing Costs
Costs when selling: title insurance, transfer taxes, attorney fees, etc.
Total Selling Impact
The total cost to sell: Broker Fee % × ARV + Closing/Staging Costs. This is fixed and does not change with hold time.
Staging & Marketing
Professional staging, photography, and marketing costs to sell the property.
Sale Price (ARV)
After Repair Value - the expected sale price once renovations are complete.
Selling Costs
Costs to sell: agent commissions, title insurance, closing fees, staging, etc.
Net Proceeds
Sale Price minus Selling Costs. The money you receive from the sale.
Property Details
Property Details
We use these details to find comparable sales with similar size and features, giving you a more accurate ARV estimate.
Property Address
The street address of the property you're analyzing. Used to find comparable sales in the area.
Square Footage
The total living square footage of the property. Used to find similar comps and calculate price per sqft.
Bedrooms
Number of bedrooms. Helps find comparable properties with similar configurations.
Bathrooms
Number of bathrooms (full and half). Full bath = 1, half bath = 0.5.
Lot Size
The size of the land/lot in square feet or acres. Helps compare properties in the same neighborhood.
Comparable Sales
After Repair Value (ARV)
In plain English: what the house should sell for after you finish the work — not what it is worth today. We estimate it from similar homes that already sold (comps).
Comparable Sales
Recently sold properties similar to yours. Used to estimate your ARV.
Weighted ARV Breakdown
Your ARV uses recency weighting and property adjustments instead of a simple average, giving more accurate results.
ARV Recommendation
ProfitGuard recommends the Weighted ARV. The simple average is shown as a reference. Tap to learn when each is most reliable.
Weighted ARV
The Weighted ARV adjusts comp sale prices for property differences and weights recent sales more heavily. This is the recommended value for deal analysis.
ARV vs Comp Average
This compares your current ARV to the Weighted ARV from your comps. A difference means you've manually adjusted the ARV or the comps have changed.
Recency Bands
Comps are grouped by when they sold. Recent sales get more weight because they better reflect current market conditions.
Adjusted Average Price
Comp prices adjusted for size, beds, baths, and lot vs. your property. This is what the sale would likely have been if the comp matched your specs.
What Changed the Price (/comp avg)
Per-comp average of appraisal-style adds and subtracts vs your property — not a market price and not a fee.
Days on Market (per Band)
Average days it took comps in this time band to sell. Helps gauge how quickly properties are moving in your market.
Weighted Avg DOM
Band-weighted average Days on Market. Used to estimate your sale period in the hold time calculation.
Market $/Sqft
Compares the average price per sqft from comps against what your weighted ARV implies per sqft for your property.
Acreage / Lot Size Adjustment
Comp prices are adjusted for lot size differences vs. your property. Larger lots command higher prices.
Market Condition Haircut
Optional safety margin that reduces your ARV to account for a cooling or declining market.
ARV Sensitivity Analysis
Shows how your deal performs if the ARV comes in lower than expected. Stress-tests your profit at −5% and −10% ARV.
Market Absorption Rate
How quickly properties sell in this area, based on the average Days on Market from your selected comps.
Comparable Sales Filter
Only comps meeting a minimum similarity score are shown. The score is calculated from distance, size, beds, baths, age, and lot size — keeping your ARV anchored to truly comparable sales.
Active vs. Sold Listings
Sold comps show what buyers actually paid — use these for ARV. Active listings show what sellers are asking, often 5–15% above final sale prices, and should be used for market context only.
DOM — Days on Market
How many days a home sat listed before it sold. Longer often means a slower market or a high asking price.
Tax & Financials
Tax Bracket
Default 24% is a typical 2026 federal marginal bracket for a dealer flipping about 2–4 houses a year. Confirm with your CPA.
Sales Tax (Renovation)
Sales tax on renovation materials, based on your area tax rate.
Income Tax
Estimated ordinary income tax on flip profit after the deductible half of SE tax. Default bracket is 24% — confirm with your CPA.
Self-Employment Tax (SE Tax)
Sole proprietors and default single-member LLCs owe ~15.3% SE tax on flip profit. A W-2 job does not cover this. An S-corp can limit payroll/SE tax to a reasonable salary. Ask a CPA before you switch.
Entity Structure Comparison
Sole prop and default LLC: full SE tax on flip profit. LLC is liability, not an SE exemption. S-corp can limit payroll tax to a reasonable salary. A W-2 job does not cover flip SE tax.
1031 Exchange Rules
A 1031 exchange lets you defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting proceeds into a like-kind property. Important: most fix-and-flip profits do NOT qualify.
Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments
Flippers must make quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid IRS penalties. Deadlines are April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.
Commonly Missed Deductions
Many flippers miss deductions for mileage, software, home office, education, and professional services that can save thousands in taxes.
Holding Period & Capital Gains
IRS long-term rates need a capital asset held more than one year (Topic 409). Thirteen months is a common buffer. Dealer flips stay ordinary income regardless of hold (Pub. 544).
Exit tax comparison
You'd save (or pay more) the difference between the one-time flip tax and a year of rental-income tax.
Self-Employment Tax
Sole proprietors and default single-member LLCs owe ~15.3% SE tax on flip profit. A W-2 job does not cover this. An S-corp can limit payroll tax to a reasonable salary. Setup costs money — ask a CPA.
Entity Structure for Flippers
An LLC is a legal wrapper. Tax type is a separate choice. Default LLC is usually still full self-employment tax on flip profit. S-corp (including an LLC taxed as S-corp) typically limits payroll tax to a reasonable salary.
1031 Exchange for Flippers
A 1031 exchange lets you defer capital gains tax by reinvesting sale proceeds into a like-kind property, but most fix-and-flip profits do NOT qualify.
Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments
Flippers must make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS to avoid underpayment penalties. Deadlines: April 15, June 15, September 15, January 15.
Commonly Missed Deductions
House flippers can deduct many business expenses beyond renovation costs, including mileage, software, education, home office, and professional services.
State Income Tax
The income tax rate for the state where your flip property is located. Ranges from 0% (TX, FL, NV, etc.) to 13.3% (CA). Set per project based on property location.
S-Corp Reasonable Salary %
The percentage of your flip profit paid as W-2 salary. Only this portion is subject to payroll/SE tax (15.3%). The rest is taken as distributions (no SE tax).
Mileage Tracking
Track business miles driven for IRS standard mileage deduction ($0.725/mile in 2026). Log each trip with date, purpose, route, and miles.
Home-sale tax break (Section 121)
If this is your main home, you may exclude up to $250k ($500k married filing jointly) of profit. Usually own and live there 2 of the last 5 years, once every 2 years. If you have never used this break, leave the last-sale date blank — we treat that as never claimed. Not automatic for flippers.
Holding Period & Capital Gains
Renovation/carry months are for holding costs. Ownership (purchase date) is the tax clock. Long-term rates need a capital asset held more than one year. Dealer status can override any hold.
LLC — Limited Liability Company
A common business wrapper for rentals and flips. It can separate your personal assets from the deal. Tax treatment still depends on how the LLC is set up — ask a CPA.
CPA — Certified Public Accountant
A licensed tax and accounting pro. ProfitGuard’s numbers are estimates — a CPA should review your real return.
Profit Analysis
Profit Goal
Your target profit for this deal. Use the Profit Bleed slider to see how budget overruns affect this.
Maximum Offer Price
The highest price you should pay to achieve your profit goal.
MAO - Max Allowable Offer
In plain English: the most you should pay and still have room for repairs and profit. We use ARV × 70% minus renovation.
70% Rule
Industry standard: your purchase + repairs should be ≤70% of ARV to ensure profit.
Minimum Profit Goal
Your minimum acceptable after-tax profit for this flip. Used to evaluate if the deal meets your standards.
Net Profit
Your projected take-home profit after ALL costs (purchase, renovation, holding, selling) and estimated taxes.
Return on Investment (ROI)
In plain English: profit as a percent of the cash you put in. $20k profit on $100k cash = 20% ROI.
Total Cash Required
The total amount of money you need to complete this flip, including all costs from purchase through sale.
Total Investment
The total amount of money you'll have invested in this project from purchase through sale.
Net Profit
After-tax take-home: net proceeds minus total investment minus sales tax minus income tax.
Profit Erosion
How much your projected NET profit (after taxes) has changed from your original plan. Includes schedule risk if you're running behind.
Total Estimated Net Profit (After Tax)
The sum of all estimated net profits across your active projects, after estimated federal and state income tax (dealer / ordinary income, not automatic capital gains). Calculated as ARV minus total capital deployed minus estimated tax liability.
Capital Deployed
Total cash invested across all projects. Includes purchase price, renovation budget, holding costs, and closing/selling costs. This represents your total capital at risk.
Portfolio ARV
Total After Repair Value across all projects. This is the estimated market value of each property after all renovations are complete.
Active Projects
Number of projects currently in active status. Tracks your deal pipeline—shows how many projects you're actively managing and how many potential deals are in your pipeline.
What-If Scenario Analysis
Model different deal variables to see how changes to price, timeline, or budget affect your net profit before committing.
Simulated Profit
The projected net profit based on your What-If adjustments, compared to the original deal numbers.
Buy Lower Scenario
Simulate a lower offer price to see how it improves your profit and 70% Rule compliance.
Shorten Timeline Scenario
Model different hold periods to see how finishing faster (or slower) affects holding costs and profit.
Reduce Commission Scenario
Slide the broker fee to model FSBO, discounted, or full-service commission and see the profit impact.
Profit Goal Scenario
Adjust your target profit to see if the deal meets your requirements under different assumptions.
LTC — Loan-to-Cost
How big the loan is compared with what the project actually costs (purchase + rehab), not the finished value.
Account & Security
Change Password
Update your account password from the Settings page under Security.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Enable or manage two-factor authentication from Settings > Security > Manage 2FA.
Update Profile Information
Change your name, email, or phone number in Settings > Profile.
App Preferences
Customize your ProfitGuard experience in Settings > Preferences, including your default state, ZIP code, tax entity, tax rates, and broker fees.
Default State & ZIP Code
Set your default state and ZIP code in Settings > Preferences. These defaults pre-populate new projects and set your home market for AI Deal Scout searches.
Account Management
Manage your account settings, data export, and account deletion in Settings > Account.
Billing & Support
Change Subscription Plan
Upgrade, downgrade, or manage your subscription in Settings > Billing.
Billing History & Invoices
View past payments and download invoices in Settings > Billing.
Cancel Subscription
Cancel your subscription in Settings > Billing. You'll keep access until the end of your billing period.
Credits & Usage Limits
Credits are used for AI-powered features like receipt scanning and comp analysis. Each plan includes monthly credits.
Pro Plan Features
Pro unlocks powerful AI tools, advanced scheduling, analytics, and more. Upgrade anytime from Settings > Billing.
Contractor Limits
Starter plans include up to 3 contractors. Pro and Team plans have unlimited contractors.
Get Help & Support
Contact support, submit feedback, or report issues in Settings > Support.
App Features
Create a New Project
Start analyzing a new flip by creating a project from the Dashboard or Projects page.
Profit Sentinel alerts
Project details always show the biggest rule-based risk. Turn this on for a login briefing and a rare push when that risk changes.
Save a Profit Sentinel chat
Chats are not kept unless you tap Save. A chat started from a project is linked to that deal.
Scan Receipts
Take photos of receipts to automatically track actual costs against your budget.
Manual Receipt Entry
Create a receipt record without scanning — for lost receipts, cash purchases, or quick expense tracking.
Actual Cost Tracking
Track actual spending manually or via scanned receipts. When receipts are attached, actual cost is calculated automatically from receipt totals.
Import Spreadsheet (MagicIngest)
Import existing project data from Excel, CSV, or other spreadsheets using AI-powered mapping.
CPA Tax Reports
Generate detailed annual tax reports for your accountant with IRS form mapping.
AI Assistant (Profit Sentinel)
Ask the AI assistant questions about your projects, house flipping, or how to use ProfitGuard.
Dashboard Overview
Your Dashboard shows all projects, key metrics, and quick access to analysis tools.
Find & Add Comps
Search for comparable sales to estimate your ARV. ProfitGuard helps you find and analyze similar sold properties.
Contractor Management
Track your contractors, assign them to tasks, and monitor their performance across all your projects.
Task Completion Photos
Document completed work with photos for each task. Great for progress tracking and quality verification.
What's New
See the latest features and improvements added to ProfitGuard.
AI Deal Scout
AI-powered lead discovery that automatically scouts new investment opportunities and saves promising deals for your review.
Performance Summary
Shows the contractor's track record including projects worked on, tasks completed, on-time rate, and average schedule variance.
Contractor Workload
Shows the contractor's current workload including projects, active tasks, and completed work.
Overloaded Warning
Contractor has 5 or more active tasks, which may cause delays due to workload.
Multi-Project Warning
Contractor is working on multiple projects simultaneously, which may cause scheduling conflicts.
Blocked Tasks Warning
Contractor has tasks that cannot proceed due to blockers like materials, permits, or dependencies.
Overdue Tasks
Tasks that have exceeded their expected completion date (Start Date + Duration). Delay days = sum of days each task is past due.
Delay Cost Impact
Extra holding costs from delays. Calculated as: (Days Late × Daily Holding Cost) for each overdue task. Daily Holding Cost = Monthly Holding Cost ÷ 30.
Unassigned Tasks
Active tasks (pending, in progress, or blocked) that don't have a contractor assigned. Assign contractors to track accountability and performance.
Blocked Tasks
Tasks marked as blocked, waiting on materials, permits, inspections, or other dependencies. Resolve blockers to keep the project moving.
Community Templates
Browse, use, and share renovation templates created by other house flippers. A Pro plan feature.
70% Rule Calculator
Quickly evaluate whether a flip deal is worth pursuing using the industry-standard 70% rule formula.
Interactive Tutorial
A spotlight-guided tour that walks you through ProfitGuard's key features step by step, highlighting real UI elements on each page.
OCR — Optical Character Recognition
Software that reads the text on a photo of a receipt so you do not have to type vendor, date, and amount by hand.
Tasks & Scheduling
Task Duration (Days)
The planned number of days to complete this task. Variance numbers below show how actual completion compared to the plan.
Task Dependencies
Tasks that must be completed before this task can start. Dependencies prevent scheduling conflicts.
ASAP Scheduling Mode
Tasks start as soon as their dependencies complete. The default mode for efficient scheduling.
Schedule Variance
The difference between planned completion and actual completion dates. Negative is good (faster), positive means delays.
Industry Benchmark
Compare your project schedule against typical timelines for similar renovations. Based on your work items.
Project Timeline
Visual summary of your project schedule from earliest task start to latest task end, based on all tasks in your task list.
Schedule Slip
When a task starts later than planned, the delay cascades to all dependent tasks. Shows total days your project has slipped.
Critical Path
The longest chain of dependent tasks that determines project completion. Delays here delay the whole project.
Daily Holding Cost
Your monthly holding cost ($) divided by 30 days. Used to calculate potential savings or extra costs from finishing early or late.
Gantt Chart View
Visual timeline showing all tasks as horizontal bars. Bars show duration, arrows show dependencies, colors show status.
Gantt Delay Indicator (Pink/Red Bar)
Pink/red bar shows days between planned start and actual start. This is time lost waiting for the task to begin.
Gantt Overrun Indicator (Amber Extension)
Amber extension past the planned end shows task took longer than expected. Duration overrun adds to project timeline.
Gantt On-Track Task (Green Bar)
Green bar means task completed on time or is progressing on schedule. No delays or overruns.
Progress Tracking
Shows how many tasks are complete versus total tasks in the project. A quick health check on project status.
Gantt Chart Display Range
The Gantt chart displays a minimum of 30 days for better readability, even if your tasks span a shorter period.
Task Status
Current state of the task: Not Started, In Progress, Blocked, or Completed.
Contractor Assignment
The contractor or crew responsible for completing this task. Helps track workload and accountability.
Subtasks
Break large tasks into smaller steps. Subtasks inherit the parent task's dates and help track detailed progress.
Kanban Board
A visual task management view that organizes tasks into status columns (Not Started, In Progress, Blocked, Completed) with drag-and-drop support.
Kanban Drag & Drop
Drag task cards between Kanban columns to instantly change their status without opening the task editor.
Milestone Gates
Renovation phase checkpoints (Rough, Drywall, Floor, Paint, Final) that group tasks into logical construction stages.
Rental & Exit Analysis
Total Cash Invested
Purchase price plus renovation budget — the total capital you committed to this property. Used as the denominator for Cash-on-Cash Return and Total Return calculations.
Monthly Rent
The expected monthly rental income if you convert this flip to a rental property. Use "Estimate Rent" to auto-populate from market data via RentCast.
Vacancy Rate
The percentage of time the property is expected to be unoccupied. Industry standard is 5-10%. Accounts for tenant turnover, lease-up time, and seasonal gaps.
Management Fee
Property management company fee, typically 8-12% of collected rent. Covers tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and evictions.
Maintenance Reserve
Money set aside for repairs and maintenance, typically 5-10% of gross rent. Covers appliance repairs, plumbing, HVAC servicing, and general upkeep.
Monthly Property Tax
Monthly property tax used in rental cash flow. Starts from Project Details → Holding costs (“Property Taxes”) if you entered one; otherwise purchase price × your tax rate. Typing previews on this page. Apply stores it on the project so the calculator uses it too. Reset discards unsaved edits.
Annual Insurance
Landlord / hazard insurance for the year. Comes from the project (wizard snapshot). If blank we use $1,200/yr so the model is not $0. Typing previews on this page. Apply stores it on the project and Holding → Insurance. Reset discards unsaved edits.
NOI (Net Operating Income)
NOI means Net Operating Income — rent left after vacancy, management, repairs, tax, and insurance, but before any mortgage. Think of it as the property’s yearly paycheck. If this is negative, costs eat all the rent before you even pay a loan.
Cap Rate (Capitalization Rate)
Cap rate means capitalization rate — the yearly return if you bought with all cash (no loan). Formula: NOI (Net Operating Income) ÷ property value. A 6% cap rate is $6 of yearly operating income per $100 of value. Typical single-family rentals: about 5–7%.
DSCR (Debt Service Coverage Ratio)
DSCR means Debt Service Coverage Ratio — does the rent cover the loan? Formula: NOI ÷ a year’s mortgage payments. 1.25 means income is 25% more than the payment (lenders like this). 1.0 is break-even. Below 1.0 you pay the shortfall. No loan? This does not apply.
Monthly Cash Flow
Headline number is after estimated income tax (federal + state on NOI; no SE tax on long-term rent). Before tax is NOI ÷ 12 minus the loan payment. Positive = the house pays you. About $200–400/mo before tax is solid.
Cash-on-Cash Return
Cash-on-cash (CoC) is the yearly cash the rental pays you, divided by the cash you still have in the deal. Example: $8,000 a year on $80,000 left in = 10% CoC. 8%+ is strong. ∞ (infinite) means a refinance returned all your cash.
Capital Recovery
Capital recovery is how much of your cash a refinance gives back. 100% means the new loan paid back everything you put in — you keep the rental and your money. Only applies if you refinance (BRRRR: Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat). All-cash hold = 0% because you did not pull money out.
Refinance LTV (Loan-to-Value)
LTV means Loan-to-Value — how big the new loan is versus the finished value (ARV, After Repair Value). 75% LTV on a $400,000 ARV is a $300,000 loan. Typical 70–80%. Higher LTV = more cash back, bigger monthly payment.
Refinance Interest Rate
The annual interest rate on the refinance mortgage. Current DSCR loans: 6.5-8.5% (as of early 2026). Higher rate = higher monthly payment = less cash flow.
Loan Term
Length of the refinance mortgage in years. 30-year is standard (lowest payment). 15-year builds equity faster but has higher monthly payments.
Refinance Closing Costs
Fees to close the refinance loan, typically 1.5-3% of the loan amount. Includes appraisal, title insurance, origination fee, and recording fees.
Price Reduction Scenarios
Shows your net profit at different price cuts (0%, -5%, -10%, -15% off ARV). Helps you decide how much room you have to reduce the asking price and still profit.
BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat)
BRRRR means Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. After you fix and rent the house, you take out a new loan and pull most of your cash back for the next deal. On Exit Planner, turning on “Model BRRRR” shows that refinance path. Off = you keep all your cash in the property (no new loan).
P&I (Principal & Interest)
The principal (loan paydown) and interest (borrowing cost) portion of your monthly mortgage payment. Does NOT include property taxes or insurance — those are separate costs on top of this.
Expected Monthly Rent
Gross monthly rent before any expenses. Pre-filled from RentCast market data when available. Every downstream metric — cash flow, CoC, Cap Rate — depends on this number, so be conservative.
Monthly Cash Flow Target
Your minimum acceptable net cash flow per month after all operating expenses, before income tax. Deals falling below this hurdle are flagged.
BRRRR Max Offer
The highest purchase price at which you can fully recover your invested capital through a cash-out refinance. LTV (Loan-to-Value) is the ratio of the loan amount to the appraised value. Formula: ARV × LTV% − Renovation Budget.
Income Approach Value (6% Cap)
What an income investor would pay for the property based purely on its rental cash flow. Calculated as Annual NOI ÷ 6% cap rate — a residential market benchmark.
Equity on Day 1
ARV minus purchase price — the instant equity built into the deal at closing. A positive number means you bought below the after-repair market value, creating a safety buffer.
Property Management %
Fee paid to a property manager as a percentage of collected rent. 10% is the industry standard for full-service management. If you self-manage, enter 0% or a small reserve for your time.
Gross Rental Income
Total rent collected over the entire hold period before any expenses. Calculated as monthly rent × number of hold months.
Holding Costs During Rental
Total operating expenses (taxes, insurance, vacancy, management, maintenance) accumulated over the rental hold period. Deducted from gross rent to arrive at net rental income.
Net Rental Income
Gross rental income minus all holding costs over the hold period — total cash profit from the rental phase before income tax. Positive = cash-flow positive deal.
Cash-on-Cash Return (CoC)
Cash-on-cash (CoC) is the yearly cash the rental pays you, divided by the cash you still have in the deal. Example: $8,000 a year on $80,000 left in = 10% CoC. 8%+ is strong. ∞ (infinite) means a refinance returned all your cash.
Capitalization Rate (Cap Rate)
Cap rate means capitalization rate — the yearly return if you bought with all cash (no loan). Formula: NOI (Net Operating Income) ÷ property value. A 6% cap rate is $6 of yearly operating income per $100 of value. Typical single-family rentals: about 5–7%.
Total Return over Hold Period
Cumulative cash flow over the hold period ÷ cash invested — total % gain from rental income alone. Positive = profitable hold · Negative = costs exceeded rent.
After-Tax Cash Flow (Estimate)
Estimated cash flow after income tax on rental NOI. This is a simplified upper-bound estimate — it does NOT include depreciation deductions, which typically reduce your actual tax bill significantly.
Capital Left In Deal
Cash still tied up in the property after the refinance. $0 means you recycled 100% of your capital — the ideal BRRRR outcome.
Refi P&I Payment
Monthly principal & interest payment on the refinance loan — your largest fixed post-refi expense that directly drives post-refi cash flow.
Total Net Rental Income
Cumulative net cash flow (rent minus all expenses) over your full planned hold period.
Break-Even Analysis
How many months of rental income it takes to equal the profit from selling at a reduced price. Shorter = rental hold is more attractive.
IRR — Internal Rate of Return
A yearly-style return that accounts for when cash goes in and out over several years. Higher is better — it is a projection, not a guarantee.
AI Deal Scout
AVM (Automated Valuation Model)
In plain English: a computer’s guess at today’s market value (like a Zestimate). Useful for a first look — not an appraisal.
Total Market Value (Assessed)
The county-assessed total market value of the property, including both land and improvements. Updated annually by the county assessor.
Undervaluation Score
A 0–150 score. Deal Scout also groups leads into beginner views: Might sell, Looks cheap, Under pressure, and Room to deal.
Estimated Equity
The estimated amount of ownership value the current owner has in the property — the difference between the property value and any outstanding mortgage balances.
LTV (Loan-to-Value Ratio)
The ratio of outstanding mortgage debt to the property's estimated value. Lower LTV means more owner equity and potentially more negotiating flexibility.
Last Transfer Price
The price at which the property last changed hands. A large gap between the last sale price and the current AVM may indicate appreciation or undervaluation.
AVM Gap Signal
The AVM is higher than the best available market value reference. If there's a recent sale, the AVM is compared to the sale price. Otherwise, it's compared to the county assessment.
Transfer Gap Signal
The last sale price (3+ years ago) was well below the current AVM. This gap represents real appreciation over time. Recent sales are excluded since they ARE the market value.
High Equity Signal
The owner has substantial equity in this property — meaning little or no mortgage debt relative to the property's value. High-equity owners have more flexibility to negotiate on price.
Low LTV Signal
The Loan-to-Value ratio is low, meaning the outstanding mortgage(s) are small relative to the property's value. Low LTV owners have room to sell below market and still profit.
Valuation Confidence Signal
The AVM estimate has a narrow min-to-max range, meaning the algorithm is confident in its valuation. Tight ranges make the AVM Gap and other value-based signals more reliable.
Recent Activity Signal
This property has had a recent transfer or ownership change, indicating active market movement. Recent activity can signal motivated sellers, estate sales, or investor flips.
Recent Below-Market Sale
This property recently sold at a price significantly below its current AVM estimate. This often indicates a distress sale, estate liquidation, or off-market deal — strong indicators of undervaluation.
Recent Market-Price Sale
This property sold recently at or near its AVM. A real transaction is more reliable than any computer model — so this property is NOT undervalued.
Long-Hold Property
This property has been held by the same owner for many years. Long-held properties often have outdated county assessments, and the owner may be motivated to sell (retirement, estate planning, deferred maintenance).
PG Cohort Flipper Index
Compares this property's $/sqft to the average $/sqft of similar-sized properties in the same search results. Below-average = potential deal.
Price Per Square Foot
The property's value divided by its living area in square feet. A key metric for comparing properties of different sizes within the same market.
Lien Distress Signal
Flags properties where outstanding liens approach or exceed market value, indicating a potentially motivated seller.
Owner Information
Property owner name from county records and parcel ID for county GIS lookups.
Lien Information
Total liens against the property. When liens exceed market value, the owner is "underwater" and may be a motivated seller.
Tax & Assessment Details
County tax assessment breakdown showing annual tax, total assessed value, and land vs building value split.
Foreclosure Signal
Flags properties with active pre-foreclosure filings, indicating a highly motivated seller facing potential loss of the property.
Absentee Owner Signal
The property owner lives at a different address than the property itself. Out-of-state absentee owners are often more flexible on price due to distance and management costs.
Free & Clear Signal
This property has no mortgage debt — the owner has full equity and maximum pricing flexibility. Distinct from Low LTV, which scores graduated points for low but non-zero debt.
Empty Nester Signal
Owner-occupied property held 15+ years with high equity — fits the profile of someone looking to downsize. A combo signal that adds bonus points on top of Long Hold and High Equity.
Tired Landlord Signal
Absentee owner who has held the property 8+ years — a profile associated with landlord fatigue and burnout. Long-term rentals may have deferred maintenance or tenant issues — inspect thoroughly.
Multiple Liens Signal
This property has 3 or more recorded liens, indicating escalating financial obligations. The owner may be motivated to sell to clear compounding debts.
Entity Owned Signal
Property is owned by an LLC, Corporation, Trust, REIT, Fund, or similar entity — may indicate an investor-owned property available for portfolio liquidation.
Price Per Acre (Land Cohort)
Average $/acre computed from vacant lots grouped by size bucket. Smaller lots typically have higher $/acre than larger parcels. Uses county assessments when available for the most stable values.
Estimated Land Value
Calculated as the bucket average $/acre multiplied by the property's acreage.
Estimated Structure Value
The remaining value attributed to the building: Total Value (AVM or Transfer) minus Estimated Land Value.
Structure Price per Sqft
The estimated building value divided by its living area square footage.
County vs. Cohort Alignment
Comparison between the official county land assessment and the market-based cohort estimate.
Skip Trace Owner
Look up phone numbers and email addresses for property owners using their public records information. Pro feature with a small credit cost.
Post-Flip Autopsy
Post-Flip Autopsy
A structured post-sale review of your flip, analyzing what went right, what went wrong, and what to do differently next time.
Autopsy Deal Score
An overall 0-100 score reflecting how well the deal was executed across acquisition, budget, timeline, sale price, and ROI.
Did We Buy Right?
Evaluates your purchase price against the 70% Rule Maximum Allowable Offer (MAO) to assess acquisition discipline.
Budget vs Actuals
Compares your planned renovation budget to actual spending, with per-category variance breakdown.
Timeline Analysis
Compares actual project duration to your planned hold time and calculates the financial cost of any delays.
Did We Sell Right?
Compares your actual sale price to your projected ARV to evaluate how accurate your valuation was.
ROI & Profit Analysis
Compares projected vs actual ROI and net profit to evaluate overall deal performance.
Contractor Performance Ratings
Rate each contractor who worked on the project (1-5 stars) to build performance history across deals.
Profit Bleed Analysis
Visualizes how holding costs eroded your profit over the life of the project, showing the cumulative cost of time.
Lessons Learned
Free-form notes capturing wins, mistakes, key takeaways, action items, and things to double down on for future flips.
Portfolio Trends
Cross-deal trend analysis showing ARV accuracy, budget variance, ROI trends, category overruns, and contractor reliability across all your completed autopsies.
ARV Accuracy Chart
Bar chart comparing your projected ARV to actual sale price for each completed flip, color-coded by accuracy tier.
Budget Accuracy Chart
Bar chart showing renovation budget variance percentage per project, revealing whether you consistently under- or overestimate renovation costs.
Renovation Category Overruns
Horizontal bar chart comparing average planned vs actual spend per renovation category across all completed flips.
Contractor Reliability Roll-up
Aggregated contractor performance across all autopsied deals, showing average rating, on-time rate, and reliability trend.
ROI Trend Chart
Side-by-side comparison of projected vs actual ROI for each completed flip, showing whether your return estimates are improving.
Dashboard Autopsy Widget
Dashboard card showing portfolio autopsy trends at a glance, including deal count, average scores, and key metrics.
Autopsy Score
A weighted 0–100 score measuring deal execution across six buckets: ARV Accuracy, Budget Discipline, Timeline, Receipt Coverage, ROI, and Documentation.
Receipt Coverage
The percentage of your renovation spend backed by uploaded receipts. High coverage protects tax deductions and strengthens CPA reports.