Why is it important to estimate rehab costs?
In The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs, expert real estate investor and fix-and-flipper J Scott reveals the tried-and-tested steps of his professional framework and his methodology for precisely evaluating renovation costs from hundreds of his own successful rehab projects. Learn every detailed tip, trick, and tactic you need to accurately budget any house flipping project or …
How long will it take to complete a rehab project?
Names: Scott, J., author. Title: The book on estimating rehab costs : the investor’s guide to defining your renovation plan, building your budget, and knowing exactly how much it all costs, revised edition. / J Scott. Description: Denver, CO: BiggerPockets Publishing, LLC, 2019.
How can I estimate my repair costs?
Real estate investing often involves rehabbing (aka remodeling) a property. But how do you estimate rehab costs and decide what repairs need to be done if you’re not a remodeling expert? In this episode, J Scott, the author of The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs and The Book on Flipping Houses shares his process that anyone can learn. You’ll also learn about the business …
Where did J Scott work?
J Scott spent much of his early career in Silicon Valley, where he held management positions at several Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft and eBay. In 2008, J and his wife Carol decided to quit their corporate jobs, move back East, start a family, and focus on real estate investing.
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Can you hire a part time employee for a construction project?
You could hire a part-time or full-time employee that has Construction Experience that could handle the process of estimating the repairs and creating the Scopes of Work for your projects.
Who is the expert on rehab costs?
The Book on Estimating Rehab costs is a must-read book for new rehabbers that struggle estimating rehab costs for their rehab projects.
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Understand your buyer and the neighborhood
Before you start calculating rehab costs, understand what the final product will look like. Some high-end remodels take months—cosmetic renovations take just days.
Tour the property thoroughly
Next, with a good understanding of how you want the finished product to look, walk through the property very slowly. Take a lot of photos or record a video on your phone so you can easily recall the condition later. Trust me, you won’t remember it all!
Write down the problems
While you are still on-site at the property, go room by room and write down its condition, as well as any needed repairs. For example, if you walk into the living room and see carpet that looks and smells like dog urine, write down “replace carpet in living room.” Also, jot down a quick estimate regarding the size of the room.
Condense your list into 25 categories
Next, take your comprehensive list of repairs and classify each one into one of the following 25 categories, which encompass all of investment property renovation. For example, if the living room and bedrooms need carpet and the kitchen needs vinyl, group all of them together and include them under “flooring.”
Determine a rehab price for each category
Once you have your 25 categories spelled out, it’s time for the most difficult part: estimating the rehab amount for each category. However, breaking everything down into the basic components of a renovation makes estimating rehab costs much easier.
When in doubt, ask for help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You can do this in a few different ways:
