Work back from what your cash buyer will pay to the maximum you can offer the seller, with your assignment fee built in. Already under contract? Enter the price to see your spread.
Work back from what a cash buyer will pay to your offer to the seller.
Wholesale MAO = (ARV x buyer's %) - repairs - assignment fee. The spread is what is left for you between your contract price and what a buyer can pay.
Wholesale MAO = (ARV x buyer's %) - repairs - assignment fee
A wholesale deal works backwards. Your buyer decides the price, using their own version of the 70% rule. Your fee comes out of the gap between that price and what you pay the seller. So the first number to get right is the ARV, and the second is the repair estimate your buyer will make when they walk the house.
If you get the house under contract at $125,000, your spread is exactly the $10,000 fee. Get it at $118,000 and you have $17,000 of room, either a larger fee or a better price for your buyer, which makes the deal faster to assign.
Wholesale spreads disappear in two places. The first is the ARV: an optimistic number makes the buyer's price look higher than it is. Check it against renovated sales within half a mile and the last six months in the ARV calculator. The second is repairs: buyers price repairs conservatively, so estimate the scope the way they will with the rehab cost calculator, contingency included.
Last updated: October 2026
Start from what a cash buyer will pay: ARV times their percentage (usually 70%) minus repairs. Subtract your assignment fee and that is the most you can offer the seller. With a $250,000 ARV and $40,000 of repairs, a buyer pays up to $135,000; with a $10,000 fee your offer to the seller is $125,000.
Assignment fees commonly run $5,000-$15,000 on single-family deals, and more on larger or deeply discounted properties. The fee has to fit inside the buyer’s numbers; if the spread is not there, a bigger fee just means the deal does not sell.
Flippers typically pay 65-75% of ARV minus repairs, depending on the market and price point. Landlords buying for rentals may pay more if the rent supports it. Ask the buyers on your list what they pay, and put that number in the calculator instead of assuming 70%.
Most often because the ARV is too high or the repairs too low. Buyers run their own comps and walk the property, and if their numbers come in $20,000 off from yours, the spread disappears. Conservative ARV and realistic repairs are what get deals assigned.
Assigning a purchase contract is legal in most states, but several states regulate it, requiring disclosure or a license if you market the property rather than the contract. Check your state’s rules and use a contract with a clear assignment clause.
The rest of the deal, covered by the same free tools.
Work out after repair value from your comps, or pull them automatically by address.
Break a renovation into line items and get a repair budget you can defend.
Pull recent comparable sales for any address and see how each one was adjusted.
Turn ARV and repairs into the maximum you should offer on a flip.
Net profit, cash needed, and ROI with financing, holding, and selling costs.
Cash left in the deal after the refinance, cash flow, and DSCR.
The formula, comp selection, adjustments, and the mistakes that cost investors money.