Quick answer
Flip profit = sale × (1 − selling cost %) − purchase − renovation − holding costs, and return on cost = profit ÷ total cost. Buying at $200,000, spending $40,000 on renovation and $8,000 holding, and selling at $320,000 with 6% selling costs earns $52,800, a 21.29% return on cost.
Enter purchase price, renovation, holding costs, sale price and selling cost percentage. The calculator returns profit and return on cost. Use this house flipping profit calculator to check your own figures.
Related tools: Stock Profit Calculator: Profit or loss on a stock trade after fees. Rental Property Calculator: Cash flow, cap rate and cash-on-cash return of a rental. Cap Rate Calculator: Capitalization rate of an income property.
How to use the House Flipping Profit Calculator
- Enter purchase price ($) (above 0).
- Enter renovation cost ($) (0 or more).
- Enter holding costs ($) (0 or more).
- Enter sale price ($) (0 or more).
- Enter selling costs (% of sale price) (%) (between 0 and 100).
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | A number, in $ | > 0 |
| Renovation cost | A number, in $ | ≥ 0 |
| Holding costs | A number, in $ | ≥ 0 |
| Sale price | A number, in $ | ≥ 0 |
| Selling costs (% of sale price) | A number, in % | ≥ 0, ≤ 100 |
Formula and method
Formula
profit = sale × (1 − selling%) − purchase − renovation − holding; return = profit ÷ total cost
IEEE-754 double precision; money shown to cents, rates to 4 decimals. Results are estimates, not financial advice.
Total cost is purchase + renovation + holding costs.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Purchase price = 200000; Renovation cost = 40000; Holding costs = 8000; Sale price = 320000; Selling costs (% of sale price) = 6.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Profit | $52,800.00 |
| Return on cost | 21.2903% |
Example 2
Inputs: Purchase price = 150000; Renovation cost = 25000; Holding costs = 5000; Sale price = 170000; Selling costs (% of sale price) = 7.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Profit | -$21,900.00 |
| Return on cost | -12.1667% |
The first line is the headline result (profit). Below it the house Flipping Profit Calculator lists return on cost, which describe the same case from other angles. IEEE-754 double precision; money shown to cents, rates to 4 decimals. Results are estimates, not financial advice.
Where the numbers go
Selling costs are 6% × $320,000 = $19,200, leaving $300,800. Subtracting $248,000 of purchase, renovation and holding costs leaves $52,800. Return on cost is 52,800 ÷ 248,000.
The 70% rule
Investors often cap the purchase plus repairs at 70% of the after-repair value minus repairs. Here 70% × 320,000 − 40,000 = $184,000, below the $200,000 paid. Taxes aren't included, and delays raise holding costs.
How the result changes with purchase price
Holding every other input at the first worked example, this table changes only purchase price. It shows how sensitive the answer is to that one value; each row was produced by running this calculator.
| Purchase price | Profit | Return on cost |
|---|---|---|
| 100000 | $152,800.00 | 103.2432% |
| 200000 | $52,800.00 | 21.2903% |
| 400000 | -$147,200.00 | -32.8571% |
| 800000 | -$547,200.00 | -64.5283% |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Purchase price: entering "0" shows "Purchase price must be greater than 0." beside that field and no result.
- Selling costs (% of sale price): entering "101" shows "Selling costs (% of sale price) must be at most 100." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the House Flipping Profit Calculator and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Stock Profit Calculator](/finance/stock-profit-calculator/) | shares, buy price per share and sell price per share | Profit |
| [Rental Property Calculator](/real-estate/rental-property-calculator/) | purchase price, down payment and mortgage rate | Annual cash flow |
| [Cap Rate Calculator](/real-estate/cap-rate-calculator/) | net operating income and property value | Cap rate |
| [Cash on Cash Return Calculator](/real-estate/cash-on-cash-return-calculator/) | annual pre-tax cash flow and total cash invested | Cash-on-cash return |
| [Real Estate ROI Calculator](/real-estate/real-estate-roi-calculator/) | purchase price, sale price and net income during ownership | ROI |
Background: rental property metrics
Rental property metrics answer different questions. The cap rate is net operating income divided by the purchase price and ignores financing; cash flow is income minus operating expenses minus debt service; cash-on-cash return divides annual cash flow by the cash you actually invested. Rules of thumb such as the 1% rule (monthly rent at least 1% of the price) are quick screens, not decisions.
Check the assumptions behind any result: vacancy, management fees, repairs and taxes. Published benchmark ranges for a good cap rate or return vary between sources.
Assumptions and limitations
- Taxes are not included
Estimates only. Taxes, fees and lender or authority rules vary by place and date, so confirm figures with the relevant authority or professional.
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for purchase price and selling costs (% of sale price) to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
What are holding costs?
Loan interest, taxes, insurance and utilities while you own it.
What is ARV?
ARV is after-repair value, the expected sale price once renovations are done; flip budgets are often capped at 70% of ARV minus repairs.
Is flipping risky?
Yes, markets and renovation costs can move.
What does the House Flipping Profit Calculator calculate?
Profit and return on cost of a renovate-and-sell project. It returns Profit and Return on cost.
What formula does the House Flipping Profit Calculator use?
profit = sale × (1 − selling%) − purchase − renovation − holding; return = profit ÷ total cost. Total cost is purchase + renovation + holding costs.
What do I need to enter in the house Flipping Profit Calculator?
You enter Purchase price ($), Renovation cost ($), Holding costs ($), Sale price ($) and Selling costs (% of sale price) (%).
How is the result rounded or limited?
IEEE-754 double precision; money shown to cents, rates to 4 decimals. Results are estimates, not financial advice. Taxes are not included.
What is an example of a house Flipping Profit result?
With purchase price 200000, renovation cost 40000, holding costs 8000, sale price 320000 and selling costs (% of sale price) 6, the profit is $52,800.00.
Can I rely on this calculator for a decision?
Estimates only. Taxes, fees and lender or authority rules vary by place and date, so confirm figures with the relevant authority or professional. For this calculator in particular: Taxes are not included.
Related calculators
- Stock Profit Calculator — Profit or loss on a stock trade after fees.
- Rental Property Calculator — Cash flow, cap rate and cash-on-cash return of a rental.
- Cap Rate Calculator — Capitalization rate of an income property.
- Cash on Cash Return Calculator — Annual pre-tax cash flow relative to the cash you invested.
- Real Estate ROI Calculator — Total return on a property from sale gain and net income.
- Rental Yield Calculator — Gross and net rental yield on a property.
Sources
- Standard time-value-of-money relations (e.g. Brealey, Myers & Allen, Principles of Corporate Finance)
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.