What will a cash buyer pay for your house?

No mystery, no lowball — just the standard formula.

Cash buyers work backward from what your house is worth fully renovated (the after-repair value), then subtract what it costs to fix, resell, and take on the project risk. The industry shorthand is:

A lighter, quicker flip lands near the top of that range; a heavier project with more risk lands nearer the bottom. A fair buyer shows you every number — a lowballer hides them all inside one low figure. Want the full breakdown? See how cash buyers price offers.

Why it's a range, and what pushes an offer up or down.

The spread between 70% and 85% isn't padding — it's how buyers price risk. A house that needs one clean, known repair (say, a roof with a written quote) prices near the top of the range, because the buyer can see the whole project before committing. A house with unknowns — foundation movement, old plumbing behind the walls, an unpermitted addition — prices lower, because the buyer absorbs whatever surprises show up after closing.

Everything the buyer carries while holding the house counts too: property taxes, insurance, utilities, financing costs, and the months a renovation takes before resale. A house that can be turned around quickly supports a stronger offer than one facing a long project or a slow resale market. Location works the same way — the easier the finished house is to resell, the more of the ARV a buyer can pay up front.

Feed it honest inputs, and treat the output as a starting point.

The estimate is only as good as the two numbers you feed it. For the fixed-up value, look at what renovated homes like yours actually sold for nearby — sold prices, not asking prices, which run higher. For repairs, resist the urge to guess low: walking a contractor through the house, or at least pricing the big items (roof, HVAC, kitchen, bath), beats a hopeful round number.

Then compare honestly. A listed sale usually brings a higher price — minus agent commission, seller closing costs, the repairs you make before listing, and the carrying costs of the months in between. An as-is cash sale trades some of that price for speed and certainty. Put the two nets side by side before deciding — the offer-math breakdown shows every step a fair buyer should be willing to walk you through.

And remember what this tool is not: it isn't an appraisal, and it isn't an offer. A real cash offer accounts for the specific property, the neighborhood, and recent sales before putting a number on paper. If the estimate here looks even close to interesting, that real number is worth requesting.