Flip Analysis Spreadsheet vs. Deal Analyzer: Which Do You Need?
A spreadsheet is a good way to do the math on a flip, and a poor way to find the inputs. The formulas are easy: ARV minus purchase price, rehab, holding and selling costs. The hard part is getting a trustworthy ARV and rehab number for every property you look at. A deal analyzer is built for that first read. Most flippers end up using both.
What a Spreadsheet Does Well
Full control. You decide every line: financing costs, holding months, contingency, selling costs.
It's free and portable. No subscription, and you can save a copy for each deal.
It forces you to think. Typing in each cost makes you question it.
Where a Spreadsheet Slows You Down
It has no data. You still pull the comps, find the square footage and price the rehab by hand. See our guide to calculating ARV for that workload on one property.
Every deal is a copy. Fix a formula in one version and the older copies keep the old formula.
One wrong cell skews the result. A misplaced range or a typed-over formula changes the profit without warning.
It doesn't scale to a lead list. If each lead takes 20 minutes (a made-up figure), 10 leads is over three hours before you've made a single call.
Where a Deal Analyzer Fits
The A.I. Deal Assistant is built for the first read. Paste a property address or a Zillow or listing link and you get ARV from recent comps, a rehab estimate (square-footage logic plus national and local cost data), projected flip profit and a property snapshot with beds, baths and year built. It works on desktop and mobile.
It doesn't replace judgment: results are estimates to help you screen deals, not appraisals or inspections. Walk the house, check the comps yourself and get contractor bids before you offer.
A Worked Example With Labeled Hypothetical Numbers
These numbers are made up to show the math; they aren't output from the tool. Say a deal screens at an ARV of $200,000 and a rehab of $40,000.
70% rule: $200,000 × 0.70 = $140,000, minus $40,000 rehab = $100,000 maximum price.
If the seller wants $110,000, the rule says you're $10,000 over. Walk, negotiate, or find where the rehab number is soft.
In a spreadsheet you'd build that after finding the ARV and rehab yourself. With the analyzer, you paste the address, read the numbers it gives, and then run this math on them. Our posts on the 70% rule and the flip profit formula cover the arithmetic.
A Workflow That Uses Both
Screen with the analyzer. Run every lead through the tool and drop the ones that don't clear your rule.
Verify the survivors. Check the comps and walk the property. Our fix and flip analysis guide shows the steps.
Build the full budget in your spreadsheet. Add financing, holding, contingency and selling costs on the deals that matter.
Keep a record. Save each deal's numbers so you can compare projection to result.
Mistakes to Avoid
Trusting any one number. An analyzer's rehab estimate and a spreadsheet's rehab cell are both guesses until a contractor bids.
Skipping holding and selling costs. A quick screen leaves them out.
Analyzing only deals you already like. The point of screening is to say no faster.
100+ active real estate investors are already using the A.I. Deal Assistant. Free: 10 searches, 72-hour access, no credit card. Investor Pro - Solo is $47 per month for 3,000 searches per month, automatic updates and batch search support.
Questions? Email support@accmgmtsolutions.com or call (216) 238-5999. — ACC Solutions team
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a spreadsheet or a deal analyzer better for analyzing a flip?
They do different jobs. A spreadsheet is good for building a full budget with your own assumptions. A deal analyzer is built for a fast first read on many properties. Many flippers screen with an analyzer and build the full budget in a spreadsheet.
What does the A.I. Deal Assistant give me that a spreadsheet doesn't?
From an address or listing link it gives ARV from recent comps, a rehab estimate, projected flip profit and a property snapshot, so you don't have to pull the comps and price the rehab by hand for each property.
Can I skip the spreadsheet if I use the A.I. Deal Assistant?
For screening, yes. Results are estimates, not appraisals or inspections. Before you offer, verify the comps, walk the property and get bids, and many investors build a full budget in a spreadsheet.
How much does the A.I. Deal Assistant cost?
Free includes 10 searches with 72-hour access and no credit card. Investor Pro - Solo is $47 per month for 3,000 searches per month, automatic updates and batch search support.
