Real Estate Investment Calculator: Compare Strategies
A real estate investment calculator helps you evaluate a property across multiple investment strategies and pick the one that maximizes your return. The same house can be a mediocre flip but an excellent rental, or a great wholesale deal but a terrible BRRRR. You will not know until you run the numbers for each approach.
This guide shows you how to use a real estate investment calculator to compare strategies, what metrics matter for each approach, and a framework for deciding which path to take on any given deal. For strategy-specific deep dives, see our flip calculator guide, rental calculator guide, and investment property calculator guide.
Core inputs for every strategy
Regardless of strategy, you need these baseline numbers:
- Purchase price — your contract or target offer price
- After repair value (ARV) — what the property will be worth fully renovated
- Repair estimate — cost to bring the property to the condition your ARV comps reflect
- Monthly rent — achievable rent after renovation (for rental and BRRRR analysis)
- Financing terms — down payment, interest rate, loan term
Strategy-specific metrics
| Strategy | Primary Metric | Secondary Metrics | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Assignment fee | ROI on earnest money | $5,000-$20,000 |
| Fix and flip | Net profit | ROI, months to complete | $25,000+ net |
| Rental | Cash on cash return | Cap rate, DSCR, monthly cash flow | 6-10% CoC |
| BRRRR | Cash left in deal | Post-refi CoC, monthly cash flow | Near-zero cash left |
Decision framework: which strategy wins?
Run the numbers for all four strategies on every deal, then evaluate:
Choose wholesale when:
- You do not have capital for a flip or down payment for a rental
- The spread is large enough for a $5,000+ assignment fee after the buyer's margin
- You need quick income (2-4 weeks)
- The property needs more work than you want to manage
Choose flip when:
- Net profit exceeds $25,000 after all costs
- You have rehab experience and reliable contractors
- The market is strong (low days on market for renovated homes)
- Holding costs are manageable (you have financing or cash)
Choose rental when:
- Cash on cash return exceeds 6% with financing
- The property is in a stable neighborhood with good tenant demand
- You want passive income and long-term wealth building
- Appreciation outlook is positive
Choose BRRRR when:
- ARV is high enough that a 75% LTV refi covers most of your investment
- The property rents well after renovation
- You want to recycle capital into the next deal
- You have access to short-term financing (hard money or private money) for the acquisition and rehab phase
Worked comparison: same property, four strategies
Property: 3BR/2BA, 1,500 sqft, built 1988
Purchase: $140,000 | ARV: $215,000 | Repairs: $30,000 | Monthly rent (post-rehab): $1,600
Wholesale: Buyer's MAO at 72% = $215,000 × 0.72 − $30,000 = $124,800. Cannot wholesale at $140,000 contract.
Flip: Profit = $215,000 − $140,000 − $30,000 − $10,000 (holding) − $17,200 (selling) = $17,800. Below $25K threshold.
Rental: CoC = 5.8% with 25% down at 7%. Positive cash flow of $87/month.
BRRRR: Total investment = $174,500. Refi at 75% of $215,000 = $161,250. Cash left in deal = $13,250. Post-refi cash flow = $47/month. CoC on $13,250 = 4.3%.
Winner: Rental. Best CoC return, stable cash flow, low risk. Not enough margin for wholesale or flip. BRRRR works but leaves $13K in and CoC is lower than straight rental.
What a good calculator tool provides
- Multi-strategy analysis — evaluate flip, rental, BRRRR, and wholesale on the same property without re-entering data
- Real comp data — auto-populated ARV from comparable sales
- Sensitivity sliders — adjust purchase price, rent, rate, and see results update instantly
- Multi-year projections — for rentals and BRRRR, project cash flow and equity over 5-30 years
- Export and share — send analysis to partners, lenders, or your files
Deal Run provides multi-strategy deal analysis with AI-powered ARV and repair estimates, interactive comp maps, and the ability to switch between strategies on the same property.