By *Grab Your Free Home Repair Estimate Template Here*
Table Of Contents
- How To Use A Home Repair Estimate Template
- Why Do A Home Repair Estimate?
- What Property Elements Should You Pay Closest Attention To?
- 4 Reasons To Do A Estimate Home Repairs
- 2 Final Tips For Using A Home Repair Estimator
So you're getting ready to make some repairs and you're wondering...what should you look for when evaluating a property and estimating repairs?
Don't sweat - this post is for you.
How To Use A Home Repair Estimate Template
A home repair estimate template - which you can download for free below - is an Excel sheet that is preloaded with the most common home repairs, along with approximate market values for those repairs.
Once you've done a property inspection, you'll have a list of items (big and small) that need repairs. With a home repair estimate template, you'll be able to simply plug in the repair estimates, and the template will automatically calculate the approximate value of what you're looking at.
Now - for more up-to-date pricing and the most accurate market data available, you'll want to opt for a more advanced system, like Realeflow's Hammerpoint home repair estimator.
How Does It Work?
We basically took our free home repair estimator tool and put it into a spreadsheet that you can download and use as your guide when doing repair estimates.
And again - while this may not be as accurate as a paid tool, it will still give you a ballpark estimate on what
Our goal is to help you become a better investor by delivering information that will help you invest smarter and do deals faster.
Why Do A Home Repair Estimate?
Performing a comprehensive home repair estimate will give you hard numbers and determine whether or not a property is worth investing in.
While it’s easy to let a "too-good-to-be-true" sales price get you excited enough to buy, a thorough repair estimate will reveal any additional and necessary investments, some of which may be extremely costly.
Completing the repair estimate will help you determine the appropriate purchase price, after repair value, and necessary sales price to be able to make a profit.
What you don’t want is to be fooled by a low price tag. The price might be right, but the property might be all wrong.
What Property Elements Should You Pay Closest Attention To?
Check out the list below of items that I always assess when conducting a repair estimate on a property and what I look for.
Exterior Property Elements That Commonly Need Repair
Roof
Look for obvious signs of wear and tear – missing shingles, discoloration, waves or dips in the line of the roof.
Gutters
Look for obvious signs of wear and tear such as missing or sagging sections, cracks, and missing downspouts.
Exterior Finish
Examine the exterior for obvious signs of damage such as large cracks, peeling or chipped paint, or missing boards.
Exterior Windows
Look for broken panes, and damaged sashes or window frames.
Exterior Garage
Look at the condition of the roof, windows, garage door, garage door opener, and electrical for damage or excessive wear and tear.
Landscaping
Get an overall feel for the condition of the landscaping and determine if you need to replace the existing landscaping or do a clean up and add to what’s there.
Deck/Patio
Determine the condition by looking for rotting wood, termite damage, and missing boards. Next decide if you can repair what’s there, if you have to replace the whole thing, or if it’s good enough shape to leave it as-is.
Fence
Look for missing boards, chipping paint, rotting wood, and the condition of the door. Then decide if the existing fence can be repaired, left as-is, or if the whole thing needs to be replaced.
Interior Property Elements That Commonly Need Repair
Paint
Look at the condition of the walls. Some properties will require fresh paint throughout, but there may be some that you can get away with painting just certain rooms.
Hardwood Flooring
Inspect the flooring to determine the overall condition. Look for missing or warped boards and excessive wear and tear. Next determine if it can be sanded and refinished or if the flooring needs to be completely replaced.
Carpet
Look for stains, excessive wear and tear, or missing areas of carpet to determine if carpet needs to be replaced or if a professional cleaning will be enough.
Kitchen
Look at the condition of the cabinets and countertops to determine if you can refinish what’s already there or if it needs to be completely replaced.
Applicances
Inspect the appliances, both how they look and how they work, to determine if you need to replace them, refurbish them, or keep them in their current condition.
Bathrooms
Inspect the toilet, bathtub, vanity, sink, and mirror to determine what can be reused, refurbished, or needs to be replaced.
Doors And Trim
Look at the existing trim around all the doors, windows, and baseboards and determine if what’s there can be cleaned up and painted or if it needs to be replaced. And don’t forget the doors! Determine the condition of all the doors and whether or not they need to be replaced.
Foundation
If you think you have an issue with the foundation, you will want to get a second opinion from a foundation specialist like a structural engineer.
First determine the type of foundation the house has (slab, raised, full basement) and what it’s made of (concrete, wood and concrete, block). Look for obvious signs of deterioration like cracks, separation, or flaking around the exterior. Inside, check the floor to confirm that it’s level.
An easy test is to drop a marble in the middle of the floor and if it rolls to an edge, you may have a problem. Another thing to look for are doors that don’t stay open or closed. That could also indicate foundation issues.
HVAC
First determine the type of system the house has (gas forced air is very common) and the working condition of the system. Then determine if the system needs to be replaced, repaired, or is in good working condition.
Plumbing
Inspect the hot water heater’s working condition and age to determine if it needs to be replaced, repaired, or is in good working condition. If the house is going to be a complete rehab, you will probably be doing a lot of plumbing work, so it’s important to budget for this separate from the fixtures.
Electrical
Determine if the electrical need to be repaired, replaced, or is it in good working order. First, locate the main panel box and look at where the wires come in and the condition of what you see. Char marks on the electrical box indicate a fire hazard and two prong outlets indicate the need to update wiring. Determine the type of electrical – breakers or fuses. If you find fuses, expect to rewire the entire house and update to breakers.
Basement
Check the basement for water damage, dampness, mold, or mildew. This could be an easy fix such as mold remediation or could indicate a much bigger, most costly problem. If you see evidence of water damage, you will probably want to do some additional investigation into the problem.
4 Reasons A Detailed Home Repair Estimate Improves Your Bottom Line
- Helps you determine the work that the property needs
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Helps you determine purchase price and potential sales price based on necessary repairs
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Helps support and validate your offer
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Aids in lender and seller negotiations
Now that you know what to look for, and you have a guide for creating your home repair estimates, there's no excuse for overlooking it or assuming "it will be fine". It's a crucial element for negotiating the best deal every time.
2 Final Tips For Using The Home Repair Estimate Template:
- If, for any reason, you can’t test the appliances or systems such as HVAC, assume they need to be replaced.
- Always overestimate rather than underestimate to give yourself a little wiggle room.
Want to share any of your home repair estimate tips? I would love to hear them, so please leave a comment below!
