How It Works: Two-Step Analysis
Step 1 — "Analyze This Deal" (instant, free, no API key needed): ARV from your comps, confidence rating, max offer, fees, taxes, insurance, holding costs, flip profit, rental cash flow, verdict. All numbers appear immediately.
Step 2 — "Get AI Insights" (optional, API call ~$0.03): Risk assessment, buyer pitch, seller offer script, verdict explanation. If you uploaded property photos, the AI also compares what's visible against your repair scope and flags mismatches (shown in the Repairs tab). Also: repair estimate if checklist not used, rent estimate if not provided. Unlocks the conversational adjustment chat.
RentCast Integration (optional, 2 calls per deal): Click the "RentCast Autofill" button next to Property Details to pull property data before analyzing. Auto-fills beds, baths, sqft, year built, lot size, rent estimate, and current market value (for tax calc). Only fills empty fields — never overwrites your entries. RentCast comps appear in Deal Intel as reference (as-is condition, not after-repair). Your comps always drive the actual ARV. Free tier = 50 calls/month = ~25 deals.
You get the full deal math without an API key. The AI adds judgment and writing but never overrides the numbers.
1. ARV (After-Repair Value)
Use after-repair comps — recent sales of similar properties in updated/renovated condition from comparable sales. These represent what your deal property will sell for once the buyer finishes rehab.
ARV = straight average of your comp sale prices. No AI interpretation, no adjustment formulas. 3+ comps with tight prices = high confidence. 1 comp = low confidence (get more before offering). Your comps always drive the actual ARV.
2. Max Offer (what you offer the seller)
Max Offer = ARV × tier% − Repairs − Your Fee − Est. Liens
Tier by ARV: under $120k =
70% • $120-199k =
75% • $200-299k =
80% • $300k+ =
82%
All tier boundaries and percentages are adjustable in Settings.
For off-market deals (no asking price), the max offer IS the key output — your ceiling in negotiation.
3. Repairs
If you use the repair checklist: check what needs work, set the quantity (# of bathrooms, # of windows), and pick a tier (Budget / Mid-Range / Premium). Every cost calculates live in the browser before the AI runs. The AI uses your exact total — it does not recalculate.
Quantity fields: Bathrooms and windows have a count input. Sqft-based items (roof, flooring, paint, siding) auto-calculate from your property sqft.
Tier = where in the MI rate range:
Roof: $5 / $5.50 / $6.50 per sqft (×1.15 pitch factor applied automatically) • Kitchen: $18k / $25k / $35k • Bath: $13.5k / $18k / $25k each • Flooring: $5 / $6.50 / $8.50 per sqft • Paint: $1.50 / $2 / $2.50 per sqft • Furnace: $4.5k / $6.5k / $9k • AC: $4k / $6k / $8k • Windows: $400 / $600 / $800 each • Electrical: $2k / $2.75k / $3.5k • Plumbing: $4k / $6k / $8k
These are defaults. Go to the
Rates tab to replace any of them with your actual contractor pricing. Saved to your browser — enter once, used every time.
Pre-1950 contingency: When year built is 1950 or earlier, the tool automatically adds
15% to all repair estimates. SE Michigan homes from this era commonly carry hidden costs: lead paint abatement, knob-and-tube wiring, cast iron plumbing, undersized electrical, possible asbestos. Displayed as a flagged line item in the Repairs tab and summary card.
If you skip the checklist: AI infers repairs from property age + condition:
Light = under $15k •
Medium = $15-40k •
Heavy = over $40k
4. Assignment Fee (your payday)
15% of deal room (deal room = ARV × tier% − repairs − liens). Your fee scales directly with deal quality — fat deals pay more, tight deals pay less.
Floor:
$7,500 (minimum viable fee) • Ceiling:
$20,000
Fee scales: full 15% if room allows → floor minimum ($7,500) if room is tight → 40% of remaining room if below floor. If deal room is zero or negative, fee is $0 (auto-PASS).
Fee %, floor, ceiling, and fallback % are all adjustable in Settings.
5. Buyer Math (explicit formulas)
buyer_purchase_price = contract price (max offer) + assignment fee (what the buyer wires at closing)
buyer_all_in = buyer purchase price + repairs (total cash deployed into the property)
buyer_gross_profit = ARV − buyer_offer_price − repairs (industry standard — no holding or selling costs)
buyer_net_profit = gross − holding costs − agent commission − MI transfer tax − seller closing fees − buyer closing fees
ROI = gross profit ÷ (purchase + repairs) — industry standard used by ATTOM, BiggerPockets, and most flippers
Repairs counted
once in max offer formula (to leave room) and
once when buyer actually spends them. Never doubled.
6. Rent Estimate
If you enter a rent amount (from Zillow, Rentometer, etc.), the AI uses it exactly. No overriding.
If left blank, estimated from Michigan $/sqft/mo rates by city:
Detroit: $0.70-1.00 • Warren/Sterling Hts: $0.90-1.20 • Dearborn/Livonia: $0.85-1.15 • Ann Arbor: $1.20-1.60 • Grand Rapids: $1.00-1.30 • Lansing/Flint: $0.70-0.95
7. Exit Strategies
Flip viable: gross profit > $25k OR ROI > 20%. Marginal: gross > $15k OR ROI > 15%. Not viable: below both.
Rental viable: cash flow > $200/mo AND cap rate > 6%. Marginal: cash flow > $50 OR cap > 4%.
Buyer net-profit floors scale with the deal: viable ≥ 5% of ARV, marginal ≥ 3% of ARV (a $300k flip needs ~$15k net to be "viable"; a $150k flip only ~$7.5k). Adjustable in Settings.
Michigan taxes, two tracks: flip holding costs use the
current assessed tax bill (often homestead/capped — taxes don't reset until the year after sale). Rental viability uses uncapped SEV (50% of ARV) at the millage,
+18 mills if the seller is owner-occupied (investor loses the PRE school exemption). Toggle "Homestead (PRE)" next to the millage field.
Holding costs: taxes + rehab insurance (150% of standard — vacant/builder's risk policy) + $200/mo utilities + 12% hard money interest on (purchase price + 50% of repairs as avg draw balance) + 2pt loan origination fee (one-time). Hold periods:
5mo light (<$15k repairs),
6mo medium ($15-40k),
9mo heavy (>$40k) — accounts for renovation + ~40-day listing + ~30-day closing.
Closing costs — sell side: agent commission (default 5% — 2.5% listing + 2.5% buyer's agent, post-NAR) + Michigan transfer tax (0.86%, state $7.50/$1k + county $1.10/$1k, seller-paid) + seller title/settlement/misc ($750 flat).
Buy side: cash buyer title insurance (scales with purchase price at 0.55%), settlement fee, and recording — minimum $800, maximum $2,000. Title insurance is the variable component; settlement/recording are flat. All adjustable in Settings.
Buyer gross profit = ARV − purchase − repairs (industry standard, no costs deducted).
Buyer net profit = gross − holding − agent commission − transfer tax − seller closing − buyer closing (what buyer walks away with).
ROI = gross profit ÷ (purchase + repairs) — matches ATTOM/BiggerPockets standard.
Rental expenses: taxes + insurance + 8% maintenance + 5% vacancy + 10% management.
Cap rate = NOI ÷ total investment (purchase + repairs). Same as cash-on-cash for all-cash buyers.
All thresholds adjustable in Settings.
8. Verdict
GREAT DEAL: fee at full target % of deal room +
both flip AND rental viable (2 viable exits) + high/medium confidence + repair/ARV ≤ 40% + offer ≥ 35% of ARV
GOOD DEAL: fee ≥ $7.5k + at least 1 viable exit
WEAK DEAL: fee $3-7.5k, only 1 marginal exit, OR auto-downgraded from:
• Low confidence (only 1 comp)
• Repairs > 40% of ARV (high risk)
• Offer < 35% of ARV + Great Deal → capped at Good
• Buyer attractiveness marginal (fails 1 of: gross < $20k, net < 5% of ARV, ROI < 20%) → Great capped at Good
• Buyer attractiveness weak (fails 2+) → downgrades one level
PASS: fee under $3k, no viable exit, negative max offer, or offer < 10% of ARV
All dollar/percentage thresholds adjustable in Settings.
9. Confidence
Calculated locally from your comps — the AI does not judge comp quality. Your comps are user-selected.
HIGH: 3+ comps with prices within 15% of each other
MEDIUM: 2 comps, or prices spread wider than 15%
LOW: Only 1 comp. Get more from comparable sales before offering. Low confidence auto-downgrades verdict to Weak Deal.
10. Taxes & Insurance
Taxes: Your SEV × millage / 1000 if provided. Flip carrying costs use the current (often homestead/capped) bill since Michigan taxes don't reset until the year after sale; rental projections use uncapped non-homestead rates. If not provided, estimated from market value × 50% (MI SEV) × local millage (40-75 mills typical metro Detroit).
Insurance: $8-12 per $1,000 of dwelling replacement cost/yr. Pre-1970: $11-12. 1970-2000: $9-10. Post-2000: $8-9.
Rehab insurance: During flip, uses 150% of standard rate for vacant dwelling / builder's risk policy. Adjustable in Settings.
Insurance for rental analysis: Uses standard rate (post-rehab, occupied dwelling).
10b. Est. Liens / Back Taxes
Michigan properties — especially Detroit — frequently have $5k-$20k+ in back property taxes, water liens, or code violation fines. Enter known or suspected amounts; they are subtracted from deal room and max offer.
A title search is always required to verify actual lien amounts before closing. The tool flags title/lien risk on every deal.
11. Risks (mandatory checklist)
Every deal checked against 8 categories, each rated high/medium/low:
1. Comp quality • 2. Tax burden (>2% of ARV?) • 3. Repair ratio (>40% of ARV?) • 4. Market conditions • 5. Title/liens (always flagged) • 6. Exit viability • 7. Spread sensitivity (confidence-scaled drop: 7% high / 10% medium / 13% low confidence — adjustable in Settings) • 8. Seasonality
12. Deal Intel (advanced metrics — all instant, no AI)
Deal Explanation tab: Plain-English walkthrough of every number with the actual math shown — intended for a new wholesaler to understand why the offer is what it is. Also flags any inputs near a threshold (ROI within 3 points of floor, comp spread near warning, fee near ceiling, stress net within $10k of break-even, etc.).
ARV per sqft: Shows your ARV divided by property square footage. Also checks if comp prices are consistent with each other — warns if they vary by more than 22%, which means the average (ARV) may be unreliable.
Stress test (confidence-scaled): What if the resale comes in light? The drop scales with comp quality: 10% base at medium confidence, 13% at low confidence (shaky ARV deserves a harder test), 7% at high confidence. Contract price, fee, and buyer purchase all stay locked — only the resale drops. Base % and the ±3pt confidence adjustment are both in Settings.
Deal room breakdown: ARV × tier% is the total pie — split three ways between buyer rehab costs, your fee, and the seller's offer. Shows a visual bar of how the room is divided. If the seller has an asking price, shows whether your fee fits.
Buyer metrics: All-in cost (purchase + repairs), total cash deployed (+ holding + closing), flip ROI % (gross / all-in), instant equity (ARV minus all-in), and
buyer attractiveness rating based on 3 checks:
STRONG: Passes all 3 — gross profit ≥ $20k, net profit ≥ 5% of ARV, ROI ≥ 20% — easy to assign
MARGINAL: Fails 1 of 3 — some buyers will pass. Warning explains which check failed.
WEAK: Fails 2+ of 3 — hard to assign, auto-downgrades verdict one level
13. Buyer Pitch & Offer Script
Buyer pitch is structured as a contract assignment pitch, not a property listing. Never says "for sale" or describes the property like an agent would. Always states "contract assignment," "equitable interest," and "assignment fee." Includes: deal structure, projected exits with numbers, and cash/POF requirement.
Deal card (copy button) follows the same rules — leads with "CONTRACT ASSIGNMENT" and includes the equitable interest disclosure.
Seller offer script: acknowledge situation, state offer with reasoning, value prop (fast close, no commissions, no repair requests). Always frames the inspection contingency as a "standard walkthrough to confirm condition" — never promises no inspection, never says "as-is purchase." No high-pressure tactics.