Flip Comps
By FlipProperties Editorial TeamPublished September 8, 2026Updated October 21, 2026PropStream figures checked October 2026
Flip comps are recently sold comparable properties used to estimate a house's after-repair value (ARV) before you buy it to fix and flip. Unlike standard sales comps, flip comps are filtered to renovated homes, then paired with a repair estimate to calculate your maximum allowable offer (MAO). A common convention is the 70% rule: MAO = (ARV × 0.70) − repair costs.
Just starting out? Read how to flip properties first.
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What are flip comps?
Flip comps are a subset of sales comps. A sales comp is any recently sold property similar to the one you're evaluating. A flip comp is a sold property that was already renovated — because that's what your house will look like when you sell it. Comping an un-renovated house against renovated sales is how new flippers overpay.
Three things separate a flip comp from a generic comp:
Condition
Sold in updated / renovated condition, ideally a prior flip.
Recency
Sold in the last 3–6 months (widen toward 12 in slow markets).
Proximity & likeness
Within 0.5 miles; same bed/bath count ±1; square footage within 15–20%; same property type and similar age.
Flip comps vs. sales comps: what's the difference?
| Criteria | Sales comps | Flip comps |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Current market value as-is | After-repair value (ARV) |
| Condition filter | Any | Renovated / updated only |
| Used by | Agents, appraisers, buyers | Fix-and-flip investors, wholesalers, hard-money lenders |
| Output | Fair market value | ARV → MAO |
| Next step | List or offer at value | Subtract repairs and profit to get your offer |
If you need as-is value, see our Sales Comps guide. If you're buying to renovate, you're on the right page.
How to run flip comps step by step
- 01
Pull the subject property details — beds, baths, square footage, lot size, year built, property type.
- 02
Search sold properties within 0.5 miles in the last 3–6 months. Widen to 1 mile, or toward 12 months, only if you get fewer than three results.
- 03
Filter to renovated sales. In PropStream, look at listing photos and remarks for “updated,” “renovated,” “remodeled,” or a prior sale within 12 months at a much lower price (that's a flip).
- 04
Pick three to five closest matches and adjust for differences (a garage, an extra bath, a pool) using local per-feature values.
- 05
Set ARV at the adjusted median of your comps, not the highest one.
- 06
Estimate repairs — walk the property or use a rehab calculator.
- 07
Calculate MAO with the calculator below.
Flip comps calculator (MAO)
Enter your ARV, repairs, and carrying costs. The calculator returns your maximum allowable offer in the Quick 70%-rule tab, or the full all-in Detailed breakdown.
MAO
$170,000
$300,000 × (70% / 100) − repairs $40,000
The default values are examples only. Replace them with your own closing, holding, selling and profit numbers.
The 70% rule is a starting point, not a law. Depending on your market, rehab scope and risk tolerance, investors often run the rule at a different percentage — some tighter, some looser. Use the detailed method to check the rule against your actual costs.
What is the 70% rule?
The 70% rule is a rule of thumb: as a starting point, pay no more than 70% of a property's ARV minus repair costs. The 30% spread is meant to cover purchase closing costs, holding costs (loan interest, taxes, insurance, utilities), selling costs (commissions, concessions), and profit. On a $300,000 ARV house needing $40,000 in repairs: ($300,000 × 0.70) − $40,000 = $170,000 MAO.
How to run flip comps in PropStream
PropStream's comps tool pulls both MLS sales and public-record sales across 160M+ properties, so you can comp in markets where you don't have MLS access. Its Fix and Flip Analyzer is a separate tool: you enter purchase, holding, sale and selling costs plus your rehab log, and it projects your profit, total expenses and expected returns. You still set the ARV and the maximum offer yourself.
- Comparables — MLS and public-record sales in one search
- Fix and Flip Analyzer — projected profit, total expenses and returns
- Rehab Calculator — estimated repair cost and do-it-yourself cost
Want the full walkthrough? Read our PropStream Review or see how it compares in PropStream vs DealMachine.
How to track what's selling in your market each month
ARV goes stale as the market moves. A simple monthly check keeps your numbers current. Run comps on the same area once a month, write down the same three numbers each time, and compare them with last month's.
| What to track | Where PropStream shows it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Average sale price | The comparables results for your area | Whether prices nearby are rising, flat or falling |
| Price per square foot | The comparables results for your area | The number that moves your ARV most directly |
| Average days on market | The comparables results for your area | How fast homes are selling, which affects your holding costs |
| New sales that match | Save Search email alerts | When new comps appear, so you can update your ARV |
If price per square foot drops or days on market climb for two or three months in a row, re-run your comps before you make an offer or list a flip.
Common flip comp mistakes
- ×Using active listings instead of solds (asking ≠ selling).
- ×Comping against the best house on the street.
- ×Ignoring the buyer pool — a $400K flip in a $250K neighborhood has no comps because it has no buyers.
- ×Forgetting that ARV shifts; re-run comps before you list.
- ×Skipping the repair walkthrough and guessing the number.
Lead Categories
Where to find properties worth comping
Flip comps only matter once you have a deal to analyze. These are the lead categories flippers pull from most:
Where to go next
Related Tool
Sales Comps
Pull and adjust comps, then build your ARV.
Related Tool
Land Comps
Price per acre for vacant lots and raw land.
Related Guide
How to Flip Properties
The fix-and-flip process, from first lead to resale.
Related Guide
County Property Records
Check recorded sales and deeds for your comps.
Glossary
Real Estate Glossary
Plain-English definitions for ARV, MAO, comps and more.
Learning Center
All Guides
Every FlipProperties guide, organized by topic.
Frequently asked questions
Three to five. Fewer than three is a guess; more than six and you're averaging in bad matches.
3–6 months in a normal market, widening toward 12 in a slow one. Anything older doesn't reflect current buyer demand.
You can find solds on Zillow, but it's built for home buyers, not for comping flips. Investor tools like PropStream combine MLS and public-record sales in one search, though in non-disclosure states PropStream says its public-record sale prices are estimates.
ARV is what the house will sell for after repairs. MAO is the most you can pay and still make your target profit after repairs and all costs.
Yes. A wholesaler's contract price has to leave room for the end buyer's MAO, so the wholesaler runs the same comps the flipper will.
No — land is comped on price per acre, utilities, and use. See our Land Comps guide.
Yes. In the PropStream mobile app, open a property and tap the comps tab below the photo. You can comp with public-record data, MLS data or both, adjust the filters, and create a PDF report of the comps you select. The defaults match the desktop: sold within the last year, within half a mile, and within 20% of the square footage.
Not directly. PropStream's Fix and Flip Analyzer projects profit, total expenses and expected returns from the costs you enter, and its Rehab Calculator estimates repair costs. You set the ARV from your comps and work out the MAO yourself, for example with the calculator on this page.
By
FlipProperties Editorial Team · Independent PropStream data guide
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