Step-by-step walkthrough

Step 1 — Choose your investment strategy

FlipIt supports four real estate flipping strategies. Select the one that matches your deal:

Fix & Flip — You buy a distressed property, renovate it, and sell for a profit. FlipIt calculates your net profit, ROI, annualized ROI, profit margin, and checks your offer against the 70% rule.
BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) — You renovate and hold as a rental, then refinance to pull out your capital and repeat. FlipIt shows equity created, cash flow, cash-on-cash return, and whether you achieve an infinite return.
Wholesale — You contract a property then assign the contract to an end buyer for a fee. FlipIt calculates your net assignment profit and checks whether the deal is attractive enough for your buyer.
Land Flip — You buy raw land below market value and resell it. FlipIt calculates profit, ROI, profit margin, and your multiple on invested capital.

Step 2 — Enter your numbers

Each strategy has its own set of inputs. Here's what each one means:

Fix & Flip inputs

Field	What to enter
After Repair Value (ARV)	What the property will sell for after renovations. Run comps on Zillow, Redfin, or MLS for similar recently-sold properties within ½ mile.
Purchase price	What you're paying for the property.
Rehab costs	Total renovation budget. Include materials, labor, permits, and a 10–20% contingency.
Closing costs	Buying side (title, escrow, inspection ~1–2%) + selling side (agent commission, transfer tax ~6–8% of sale).
Monthly holding costs	Property taxes, insurance, utilities, HOA. Typical range: $500–$3,000/month.
Hold time	Months from purchase to sale. Include renovation + listing time. Average fix & flip: 4–8 months.
Financing costs	Hard money loan origination points (1–3% of loan) + interest during hold period.

Step 3 — Read your results

FlipIt calculates everything in real time as you type. Here's how to interpret each metric:

Net profit — Your take-home after all costs. A healthy fix & flip typically targets $25,000–$75,000+ net.
ROI — Return on total invested capital. Aim for 15%+ on a flip.
Annualized ROI — ROI normalized to a 12-month period. Useful for comparing to other investments.
70% rule check — Your Maximum Allowable Offer (MAO) = ARV × 70% − rehab costs. If your purchase price exceeds MAO, you may be overpaying.

Step 4 — Save and track your deal

Create a free account to save your analysis before you buy. After you close the deal, return to your dashboard and log the actual numbers — real sale price, real costs, and close date. FlipIt will show you how your estimates compared to reality, deal by deal.

Over time, this projected vs. actual data becomes your most powerful tool — it shows exactly where your estimates tend to be off so you can sharpen them on future deals.

Pro tips for accurate deal analysis

Use conservative ARV. Pull comps within ½ mile, same bed/bath count, sold within 90 days. Use the lower end of the range — buyers and appraisers often will too.
Don't underestimate rehab. First-time flippers routinely underestimate by 20–40%. Add a 15% contingency line to every estimate.
Price in longer hold times. Permits, contractor delays, and slow markets can stretch a 4-month flip to 8 months. Model your holding costs accordingly.
Know your financing costs before you submit an offer. Hard money rates (10–14%) and origination fees (2–3 points) add up quickly on a 6-month hold.
Target at least 20% ROI. You need margin for the unexpected. A 20% ROI on a 6-month flip works out to ~40% annualized — well above typical market returns.

How FlipIt works