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Free 70% rule calculator. Maximum offer in 60 seconds.

Tell Freddie the ARV and your rehab estimate. He runs the 70% rule formula — (ARV × 0.70) − Rehab — and tells you the maximum you should offer. Then he runs the full deal score so you know whether the deal actually pencils, not just whether it passes the rule.

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Freddie
AI Deal Analyst · Online
Hey, I'm Freddie. Tell me the ARV and rehab budget and I'll run the 70% rule check.
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The 70% rule formula — explained

One of the most-quoted, most-misapplied rules in real estate flipping. Here's the formula and what each piece means.

Max Offer = (ARV × 0.70) − Rehab
ARV
After Repair Value
What the property will sell for after renovation. Pull from comps, not the wholesaler's claim.
× 0.70
The 30% Margin
Covers closing costs, holding, financing, realtor fees, and profit. The buffer that keeps you safe.
− Rehab
Renovation Cost
Subtracted SEPARATELY from the 70% — not included in your offer. Common rookie mistake.

What you get — free

The 70% rule is a screen. Freddie runs the screen AND the full deal math, so you don't pass on deals that work or do deals that don't.

Instant 70% Rule Check
Tell Freddie ARV and rehab. He runs the formula and tells you your maximum offer in seconds. No spreadsheet, no manual math.
Full Deal Score Beyond the Rule
A 70% rule pass doesn't mean the deal works. Freddie also runs ROI, profit margin, and risk scoring so you see the complete picture.
Adjustable Rule Threshold
Tighter market? Run a 65% check. Hot market with appreciation? Try 75%. Freddie adjusts the rule percentage to your strategy.
Score Certificate PDF
A one-page summary with your max offer math and the deal score. Send it to the seller, your partner, or your lender.
Saved to Your Dashboard
Free registered users save every 70% rule check. Compare deals across markets, track which sellers passed on your max offer.
Built by 20-Year Flipper
Freddie was built by an active investor who has run thousands of 70% rule checks the manual way. Every shortcut is in here.
Real deal · Real numbers

How a Northern Virginia hoarder house passed the 70% rule with room to spare.

Property had a $349K ARV. The full rehab estimate was $80K. 70% rule says: max offer = ($349K × 0.70) − $80K = $164,300. We bought it for $210K — too high for a flip. But we exited as a wholetail (sold as-is, $5K cleanout instead of $80K rehab). The 70% rule said no to the flip strategy. The math worked perfectly for the wholetail.

Hoarder house before cleanout — Northern Virginia 70 percent rule example
Before · As-purchased
Same property after renovation by next investor
After · Buyer's renovation

We sold the property as-is for $349K. The renovation pictured was completed by the buyer who purchased it from us. The $115,050 profit reflects our wholetail exit, not the renovation work.

The 70% Rule Math
ARV
$349,000
× 0.70
$244,300
− Rehab
−$80,000
Max offer
$164,300
We paid
$210,000
Strategy fit
Wholetail
100
Score
Strong Deal
70% rule lesson
The 70% rule tells you when a deal doesn't work as a flip. It does NOT tell you when a deal doesn't work — period. We "failed" the 70% rule at $210K. We made $115K because the right strategy was wholetail, not flip. Freddie runs the rule check AND the full strategy comparison so you don't walk away from money-makers.

Common questions about the 70% rule calculator

What is the 70% rule in real estate?+
The 70% rule is a quick-screen formula for fix-and-flip deals: never pay more than 70% of the after-repair value (ARV) minus rehab costs. Formula: Maximum offer = (ARV × 0.70) − Rehab. So a property with a $300,000 ARV and $40,000 rehab gives a max offer of $170,000. The 30% margin covers your closing costs, holding, financing, realtor fees, and profit.
Is the 70% rule still relevant in today's market?+
Yes for screening, but it's a starting point, not gospel. In hot markets with strong appreciation, experienced flippers sometimes go to 75%. In slow or declining markets, smart investors tighten to 65%. Freddie's 70% rule check is the first filter — but the full deal score factors in financing costs, holding time, and current market conditions to give you a more accurate read.
Is this 70% rule calculator actually free?+
Yes. Anyone can run unlimited 70% rule checks on any property at no cost. Free registered users also unlock the Score Certificate PDF, which formalizes the maximum offer math into a one-page document you can share with a seller, partner, or hard money lender. Most flip-focused tools charge $20-100/month for similar features.
Does the 70% rule include rehab costs in the offer or separately?+
Separately. The formula is (ARV × 0.70) − Rehab = Max Offer. Rehab is subtracted from the ARV-times-70%, not added to your offer. A common rookie mistake is calculating ARV × 0.70 and offering that, forgetting to subtract rehab. Freddie applies the formula correctly every time and shows you the math step-by-step.
What if my deal fails the 70% rule but I still want to do it?+
Run the full deal score. The 70% rule is a screen, not the whole picture. A deal that fails the 70% rule by $5,000 might still pencil if rehab time is short, financing is cheap, or you have a guaranteed end buyer. Freddie computes both — the rule check AND the full ROI/profit math — so you can make an informed call instead of walking away from a deal that might still work.
Do I need an account to use this calculator?+
No account required to run the 70% rule check and see your score. A free account unlocks the Score Certificate, saves your deals to a dashboard, and gives you 2 lifetime Rentcast lookups for verified ARV comp data.
More free tools
Free Fix and Flip Calculator →
Run the full flip math after the 70% rule check.
Free ARV Calculator →
Get a real ARV from comp data before running the rule.

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