Free calculator
Holding Cost Calculator for House Flips
Holding costs are the recurring expenses of owning a flip while you renovate and sell — loan interest, property taxes, insurance, and utilities. They typically run $1,000–$3,000 a month and accrue every month you own the property, so a longer timeline directly eats into profit. This calculator totals them across your project.
Total Holding Costs = (Monthly Interest + Taxes + Insurance + Utilities) × Months Held
How it works
Holding costs (also called carrying costs) are the silent profit-killer of house flipping. Every month a project runs, you keep paying loan interest, property taxes, insurance, and utilities whether or not work is getting done. Beginners routinely underestimate them and watch a projected profit shrink as the timeline slips.
Enter your monthly carrying costs and how many months you expect to own the property to see the total. Run it again with a longer timeline to see how much a delay really costs — it's usually more than people expect, which is why speed is so valuable on a flip.
Run the whole deal in FlipOS
This tool covers one number. FlipOS underwrites the full deal across 12 strategies — ARV, the 70% rule, rehab, holding costs, and worst/base/best scenarios — then manages the project end to end. 14-day free trial, no credit card.
Get started freeFrequently asked questions
- What are holding costs in house flipping?
- Holding costs are the recurring expenses of owning a property during a flip — loan interest, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and HOA dues. They accrue every month you hold the property, before and during the sale.
- How much are holding costs on a flip?
- They commonly run about $1,000–$3,000 per month depending on the loan size, property value, and local taxes. The total depends heavily on how long the project takes, which is why timeline discipline matters.
- How do you reduce holding costs?
- Shorten the timeline with a clear scope of work, materials ordered early, and a reliable contractor; use cheaper or interest-only financing where appropriate; and list the property as soon as it's ready rather than waiting.