Flip Comps
By FlipProperties Editorial TeamPublished September 8, 2026Updated October 3, 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.
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 90 days (up to 180 in slow markets).
Proximity & likeness
Within 0.5 miles; same bed/bath count ±1; square footage within 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 90 days. Expand to 1 mile / 180 days 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 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 says a flipper should pay no more than 70% of a property's ARV minus repair costs. The 30% spread covers 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 comparison tools pull both MLS sales and public-record sales for 160M+ properties, so you can comp in markets where you don't have MLS access. Its fix-and-flip analysis tooling then takes your ARV and repair estimate and returns a maximum allowable offer with holding and selling costs built in. Together they can replace the spreadsheet approach many flippers still use.
- Instant Comparables — MLS + county records in one screen
- Fix & Flip Analyzer — MAO with a full cost breakdown
- Rehab Calculator — repair estimate by line item
Want the full walkthrough? Read our PropStream Review or see how it compares in PropStream vs DealMachine.
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:
Frequently asked questions
Three to five. Fewer than three is a guess; more than six and you're averaging in bad matches.
90 days in a normal market, up to 180 in a slow one. Anything older doesn't reflect current buyer demand.
You can find solds on Zillow, but you can't filter by renovated condition or pull county-record sales in non-disclosure states. Tools built for investors, like PropStream, do both.
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.
By
FlipProperties Editorial Team · Independent PropStream data guide
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