Wholesale Offer Calculator

First Call — Discovery Script

Run through these live with the listing agent. Fields marked feeds calculator push straight into your offer math on the next tab.

Step 1–2 · Intro & Representation

"I'm a buyer, not an agent — would you be open to representing me as your buyer?"

Doubles the agent's commission if they represent both sides — biggest single lever for getting your offer prioritized.

Step 3 · Motivation

"What's the seller's reason for selling?"

Distress/urgency (foreclosure, divorce, death, relocation deadline) = leverage and a chance to be the most accommodating offer.

Step 4 · Condition

"From your perspective, what's the overall condition of the property?"

Step 5 · Major issues feeds repairs

"Any major issues — structural, foundational, or electrical?"

These are the big-ticket items ($5k–$25k+) that a simple $/sqft rule won't catch.

HVAC replacement needed (+$6,000) Electrical rewiring needed (+$7,500) Roof replacement needed (+$9,000) Foundation / structural / cracked slab (+$25,000) Plumbing issues (+$5,000)

Other major issue — custom add ($)

Step 6 · Upgrades feeds repairs

"Has anything been upgraded recently?"

Recent bath/kitchen/roof/HVAC upgrades lower your repair budget — don't pay to redo what's already done.

Repair budget credit for recent upgrades ($)

Step 7 · Special features

"Is there anything particularly special about this property vs. others in the area?"

Views, lot, noise, neighbors — things not visible in photos that swing ARV up or down.

Step 8 · Agent's ARV guess feeds ARV

"What would you say this home is worth in its best possible condition?"

Usually a rough number (agents are right only ~20–30% of the time) — use it as a starting point, then verify with your own comps.

Agent's stated ARV ($)

Step 9 · Competition

"How's activity been? Any calls/offers so far — from homeowners or investors? How many, written or verbal?"

If your competition is homeowners, you're probably not calling distressed enough leads. A single written offer beats several verbal ones.

Step 10 · Purchase price & flexibility

"What price do I have to come in at today to get it under contract? How flexible is that? Would the seller review offers below that?"

Most properties sell below list — this finds the seller's real floor. Use as a sanity check against your calculated offer, not as the offer itself.

List price ($)

Agent-stated floor ($)

Step 11 · Offer terms seller wants

"Any specific offer terms the seller would like included?" (closing timeline, inspection length, EMD size/timing)

Step 12 · Review timeline

"When does the seller plan on reviewing and deciding on offers?"

Step 13 · Other buyers agent represents

"Are you currently representing any other buyers on this property?"

Step 14 · Off-market pipeline

"Know of any other fixer properties — on or off market — that you could represent me on?"

Step 15 · Wrap-up

"Our offer will be justified with thorough research — let me meet with my team and get back to you shortly." Buys you time to run the numbers below before the close call.

Your Offer, Justified

Max Offer to Seller (call this in)

Price you quote your cash buyer (fee built in)

Your wholesale fee

1 · After Repair Value (ARV)

From comps: renovated, same city/zip, sold in the last 6 months, within ~½ mile, model match where possible.

ARV ($)

2 · Repair Costs

Quick estimate: ask your cash buyer their $/sq ft renovation rule, then adjust for major issues (Step 5) and recent upgrades (Step 6) from the discovery call.

Square footage

Cash buyer's $/sq ft rule

Base repair estimate

Major-issue add-ons and upgrade credit from the Discovery Call tab are applied automatically below.

+ Major issues total (from Step 5)

− Upgrade credit (from Step 6)

Final repair budget ($) — override if you have a contractor bid

Rule of thumb from the script: aim to land within $3,000–$5,000 of the true number — don't overanalyze, use the rule and move.

3 · Selling & Closing Costs

What your cash buyer will pay to resell: agent commissions, title/escrow, transfer taxes, etc. — applied against ARV.

Selling & closing costs (% of ARV)

% ≈ $40,000

4 · Holding Costs

Taxes, insurance, utilities, and financing while the cash buyer renovates and resells — figured as a rate of ARV per month.

Monthly holding cost (% of ARV)

% ≈ $0/mo

Estimated months to renovate + sell

Total holding cost

5 · Cash Buyer's Minimum Profit

Learned directly from your cash buyer conversations (buy-box calls) — their non-negotiable profit floor.

Method:

Profit % of ARV

Or flat profit ($)

6 · Your Wholesale (Assignment) Fee

Desired wholesale fee ($)

Script benchmark: ~15 written offers → one $10k fee as a beginner; advanced wholesalers land $20k–$40k+ on fewer, better offers.

Reference only — the crude "70% Rule" (script explicitly warns against relying on this alone)

70% × ARV − Repairs = $0. The script calls this a "paper napkin math rule" that ignores closing costs, holding costs, and the buyer's actual profit needs — using it alone will make you uncompetitive on offers. It's shown here only as a gut-check, not as your real number.

Close Call Script (Call #2)

Once your numbers above are set, call the agent back same-day and present the offer live — don't just email or text it.

Re-open: "Hey [Agent], this is [You]. Calling back on [address] — looking forward to getting an offer in today and having you represent us."
Present with justification, then go silent: "We finished analyzing the property's costs — renovation, closing costs, holding costs, taxes, insurance. Accounting for all of that, we can do an all-cash offer today with a 7-day inspection, 14-day close, at $—."
Confirm next steps: proof of funds + offer terms sent by email right after the call; confirm the agent's email; digital vs. wet signature; get a time commitment for when the signed offer comes back.
Push for same-day review: "Will the seller be able to review our offer today?"

Objection Handling

"That seems a little low..."

"I completely understand — I'd come in higher if I could right now, but an offer in is better than no offer. What if we get the process started with this contract and work toward a mutually beneficial number together?"

"There are higher offers on the table."

"I understand there may be higher offers — but the highest offer isn't always the best. Inexperienced investors often come in high, then ask for reductions at inspection. Ours is real, reliable, and we intend to stick to it. If the higher offers fall through — and 40–50% of the time they do — ours is still there."

"The seller wants highest and best."

"Totally understand. Sometimes the highest offer isn't the best offer, since inexperienced buyers ask for price reductions near closing. We'd rather build a long-term relationship than waste your time — our number is one we can commit to. How about we get it in today and see where it takes us?"

Offer Terms Checklist (send with proof of funds)

Purchaser name (and note the agent as buyer's agent — dual commission)
Earnest money deposit (EMD) — typically ~$10,000, refundable within 72 hrs
Inspection contingency — 7 days (your back-out clause; always include one)
Closing timeline — 14 days or sooner
Proof of funds (POF) — bank statement or hard-money/transactional lender letter covering the offer amount