ARV calculator: how to estimate after-repair value in Seattle and Bellevue.

After-repair value (ARV) is the estimated market value of a property after planned renovations are complete. It is the starting point for every fix-and-flip and BRRRR analysis — if your ARV is wrong, your entire underwriting is wrong.

ARV is not what you hope the property will be worth or what the seller claims it is. It is what a ready, willing, and able buyer would pay for the fully renovated property in its specific location on a specific date, based on evidence from comparable sold properties.

Pull 3–5 sold properties within the last 90 days that are: in the same neighborhood (within 0.5–1 mile), similar size (within 15–20% of subject square footage), similar bedroom/bathroom count, and in fully renovated or move-in-ready condition — not distressed or partially updated.

Adjust for material differences: $50–$100/sq ft for size differences in most Seattle neighborhoods, $15,000–$30,000 for a missing bathroom, $20,000–$40,000 for a view differential, $20,000–$50,000+ for a garage in markets where garages are scarce. Adjustments should be based on what the market actually pays, not what you think a feature is worth.

In practice, finding fully renovated comparable sales is the hard part — many Seattle neighborhoods have limited recent comps. Your agent should be able to pull MLS data and make legitimate adjustments. Be skeptical of ARV estimates that rely on comps more than 90 days old in a moving market.

The traditional 70% rule says: maximum purchase price = (ARV × 0.70) − estimated repair costs. At a $700,000 ARV with $80,000 in repairs, that is a max purchase price of $410,000.

In Seattle and Bellevue, the 70% rule often does not produce actionable deals because acquisition prices are high relative to potential upside. Many experienced local investors work at 75–80% of ARV with thin margins, relying on accurate renovation scopes and fast execution rather than deep discount acquisition.

If you cannot find deals at 70%, that does not mean deals do not exist — it means you need either better sourcing (off-market, direct mail, probate) or a tighter renovation scope to make the math work. Use the calculator above to test your deal at 65%, 70%, and 75% to see where your margin goes.

Hard repair costs are the number most flippers focus on — but soft costs and holding costs routinely account for 20–30% of total project expense and are the most common reason a deal pencils on paper but loses money in execution.

Soft costs include: building permits ($2,000–$8,000+ depending on scope), architectural or structural engineering fees for load-bearing work, staging ($3,000–$8,000 for a typical Eastside home), and HOA move-in/move-out fees if applicable. Budget 12–18% of your hard repair costs as a soft cost allowance.

Holding costs are your monthly cash burn while the property is not generating income: hard money loan interest (typically 10–12% annualized on the drawn balance), property taxes ($600–$1,200/month at Bellevue price points), homeowners insurance ($150–$300/month), and utilities ($300–$600/month). A 4-month renovation project generates $18,000–$30,000 in holding costs on a $700,000 Bellevue acquisition — a line item that destroys thin-margin deals.

The holding cost clock does not stop when construction finishes. Add 30–60 days for listing, marketing, and sale. Budget for 5–6 months of total hold time on a standard Eastside renovation, not 3–4.

Washington has one of the highest combined selling cost structures in the country. Budget 7–9% of sale price for: buyer's agent commission (2.5–3%), listing agent commission (2.5–3%), Washington State Real Estate Excise Tax (REET: 1.1% on sales up to $525,000, 1.28% on $525K–$1.525M, 2.75% on $1.525M–$3.025M, 3% above $3.025M), title insurance, and escrow fees.

The REET tier structure is critical for Eastside flips. A $1.6M ARV property triggers the 2.75% REET tier — that alone is $44,000 in state excise tax. Model this correctly or your deal math will be materially wrong.

Using active listings as comps. List prices are not sale prices. Only use closed transactions.

Using comps from a different micro-market. A renovated home in Columbia City and a renovated home in Rainier Beach sell at different prices even if they are two miles apart. In Bellevue, a one-block difference in school district can affect ARV by $50,000–$100,000.

Overvaluing your renovation. Buyers pay for finished quality, not construction cost. A $60,000 kitchen remodel does not add $60,000 to ARV if the neighborhood ceiling does not support it. Know the price ceiling for your specific street before you scope the renovation.

Ignoring the neighborhood ceiling. Every block has a maximum price a buyer will pay regardless of finishes. In some South Bellevue neighborhoods, the ceiling is $1.4M. Over-improving to $1.7M finishes does not produce a $1.7M sale — it produces a slow sale at $1.4M.

Using stale comps. In a moving market, comps more than 90 days old can be 5–8% off current value in either direction. If your flip will take 5–6 months from acquisition to sale, you are selling into a market you cannot fully see today. Build in a 3–5% ARV cushion.

ARV is only as good as the comp data behind it. Online estimators use public records that lag the market by 60–90 days and cannot account for renovation quality, micro-location factors, or recent off-market sales.

Before you put a distressed property under contract, a RexMont investment agent can pull the 3 highest renovated comparable sales within 0.5 miles — same day, at no cost. This is the most important 30 minutes in any flip analysis. It costs nothing. A bad ARV estimate at acquisition can cost six figures.

If you have a deal you are evaluating right now, send us the address and your repair scope. We will run the comp analysis and give you an honest read on whether the ARV supports your offer — and if not, what price does.