ROW Affordability Analyzer · Free Improvement Planner
Can you afford the house and the improvements?
List the repairs and upgrades a property needs. See if you can afford the purchase plus the work, and what it could be worth once it's done.
Buyer: can you afford the purchase plus the improvements, and what is it worth after?
Seller: which improvements are worth doing before you sell?
Investor: total cash, after-repair value, the 70% rule, cash flow and a BRRRR refinance.
The purchase
Your finances
Pay for improvements with
Your home
The deal
After rehab
Refinance (BRRRR)
Improvements you planImprovements before you sellRehab scope
Tap to add. Use contractor quotes when you have them.
Works offline: maps your state to its Census division. Nothing is sent anywhere.
A 10–15% contingency is a common cushion for surprises found once work starts.
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The ROW Affordability Analyzer checks a specific property against your finances: cash to close, reserves, debt-to-income, rent comps, and now your improvement plan. First report free.
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Assumptions & sources
Region used: National average.
Value added defaults are the “cost recouped” percentages for the region you pick (national average by default) from the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report: the share of a professional project's cost that real estate professionals estimate is recovered at resale. They are averages for specific project specs. Any project without a verified figure for your region uses the national figure and is labeled that way. Your market, the home and the quality of work can make a big difference. Items without a published figure need your own estimate, marked Your estimate.
| Project (2025 national average) | Cost recouped |
|---|---|
| Garage door replacement | 267.7% |
| Entry door replacement (steel) | 216.4% |
| Manufactured stone veneer | 207.9% |
| Siding replacement (fiber-cement) | 113.7% |
| Minor kitchen remodel (midrange) | 112.9% |
| Siding replacement (vinyl) | 96.5% |
| Deck addition (wood) | 94.9% |
| Bath remodel (midrange) | 80.0% |
| Window replacement (vinyl) | 75.5% |
| HVAC conversion (electrification) | 72.1% |
| Basement remodel | 71.0% |
| Window replacement (wood) | 70.1% |
| Roofing replacement (asphalt shingles) | 67.5% |
| Bathroom addition (midrange) | 53.3% |
| Major kitchen remodel (midrange) | 50.9% |
| Roofing replacement (metal) | 50.1% |
| Backyard patio | 46.0% |
| Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) | 41.3% |
© 2025 Zonda Media, a Zonda company. Complete data from the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.
Math: value after improvements = price (or as-is value) + value added. Contingency is added to cost, not to value. Payments use a standard amortizing loan. DTI = all monthly debts incl. the new housing payment ÷ gross monthly income. 70% rule max price = ARV × 70% − rehab budget. BRRRR cash back = ARV × refi LTV − existing loan − refi costs. Verdict cutoffs (3 months of reserves; DTI 43%/50%) are common guidelines, not lender rules.
Questions people ask
Can I afford a fixer-upper?
Add the improvement budget (plus a 10–15% contingency) to the down payment and closing costs, then check that you still have several months of payments left in reserve and that your debt-to-income stays within lender limits after any improvement loan. The free ROW Improvement Planner does this in Buyer mode, on your device.
How do I calculate after repair value (ARV)?
ARV is what the property should sell for after the work is done. The most reliable estimate comes from recent sales of similar, already-updated homes nearby. The ROW Improvement Planner lets you enter an ARV from comps, or estimates it as the purchase price plus the value each improvement adds.
What is the 70% rule in real estate?
A rule of thumb used by flippers and BRRRR investors: pay no more than 70% of the after-repair value minus the repair costs. For example, with a $300,000 ARV and $40,000 of repairs, the maximum price is $170,000. It is a quick screen, not a guarantee of profit.
Which home improvements add the most value at resale?
In the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report national averages, the highest share of cost recouped at sale came from garage door replacement (267.7%), steel entry door replacement (216.4%), manufactured stone veneer (207.9%), fiber-cement siding (113.7%) and a minor midrange kitchen remodel (112.9%). Results vary a lot by market.
How can I pay for renovations when buying a home?
Common options are cash, a home equity loan or HELOC after you own the home, a personal loan, or a renovation mortgage that rolls the improvement budget into the purchase loan, such as FHA 203(k) or Fannie Mae HomeStyle. The planner compares cash, HELOC, renovation loan and personal loan payments.
Should I renovate before selling my house?
Only when an improvement adds more value than it costs after selling costs, or when it fixes something buyers or inspectors would flag. Seller mode shows net proceeds as-is versus after improvements, and the return on each item.
What is a BRRRR refinance?
BRRRR means buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat. After the rehab, the investor refinances based on the new after-repair value to pull cash back out. Investor mode shows the new loan, cash back, cash left in the deal and cash flow after the refinance.
Is the Improvement Planner free and private?
Yes. It is free with no signup, and your numbers are saved only on your device. Nothing you type is sent to ROW Home Solutions unless you choose to attach your plan to a report request.