BRRRR Calculator
Enter purchase price, rehab, ARV, and refinance terms below to instantly see cash left in the deal.
Typically 70-75% for a cash-out refinance on an investment property.
Zero or negative means the refinance returned all -- or more than all -- of the cash you put in.
What Is the BRRRR Strategy?
BRRRR investors buy a property that needs work, fix it up, rent it to a tenant, then refinance it based on its new, higher after-repair value. The refinance loan pays off the original purchase-and-rehab costs -- ideally returning most or all of the investor's original cash, which then goes toward the next deal.
Worked example
$100,000 purchase price, $30,000 rehab, $4,000 closing costs, $200,000 ARV, refinanced at 75% LTV.
All-in cost = $100,000 + $30,000 + $4,000 = $134,000
Refinance loan = $200,000 × 75% = $150,000
Cash left in deal = $134,000 − $150,000 = $-16,000 -- negative means the refinance returned $16,000 more than the investor put in.
Common mistake
Assuming ARV based on optimism rather than real comps, or assuming the refinance LTV ceiling from a prior deal still applies. Both numbers are set by an appraiser and a lender, not the investor -- get real numbers before counting on a specific cash-out amount.
Keep going
- BRRRR's whole goal is pulling most or all of your cash back out at refinance, which pushes cash-on-cash return toward infinity; the cash-on-cash calculator shows exactly what's left invested after your BRRRR numbers. Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator
- After the refinance, the property still needs to cash flow on its new, larger loan; the rental cash flow calculator checks that against the new debt service. Rental Cash Flow Calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
What does BRRRR stand for?
Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat -- a strategy where an investor buys a property below its post-repair value, renovates it, rents it out, then refinances based on the new, higher appraised value to pull cash back out and repeat the process on another property.
What is ARV?
After-Repair Value -- the property's estimated market value once the rehab is finished, based on a real appraisal or comparable recent sales. This calculator doesn't estimate ARV for you; it's an input you bring from your own research.
Why is the refinance LTV capped below 100%?
Lenders limit how much of a property's value they'll lend against, even on a refinance -- typically 75% for a cash-out refinance on an investment property per Fannie Mae's published guidelines, though real limits vary by lender, loan type, and market conditions. That gap is exactly why "cash left in the deal" is so rarely zero.
What does negative "cash left in the deal" mean?
It means the refinance returned more cash than you originally put in -- the core goal of a successful BRRRR. You've recovered your capital (and then some) while still owning the property and its equity, ready to redeploy that cash into another deal.
Does this calculator check whether the refinanced property still cash flows?
No -- a larger refinance loan means a larger new mortgage payment. Check the DSCR and rental cash flow calculators on this site with the new loan's payment to confirm the property still covers itself after the refinance, not just that you got your cash back.
This is a neutral calculation based on the numbers you enter -- not investment advice.
Related Calculators
- DSCR Calculator — Financing
- Cap Rate Calculator — Return Metrics
- NOI Calculator — Income & Cash Flow
- Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator — Return Metrics