House Flipping Spreadsheet: Track Costs, Timelines, and Cash FlowHouse flipping can be highly profitable — or quickly turn into a money pit — depending on how well you track costs, manage timelines, and control cash flow. A well-designed house flipping spreadsheet is the backbone of every successful flip. This article shows what to include in your spreadsheet, how to use it across the project lifecycle, and examples of formulas and layouts that keep your flip on track.
Why a spreadsheet matters
A spreadsheet turns guesswork into measurable data. It lets you:
- Estimate true project profitability before buying.
- Monitor real-time costs during construction.
- Forecast cash needs and prevent funding shortfalls.
- Compare projected vs. actual timelines to improve future bids.
Core sections of a house flipping spreadsheet
A comprehensive spreadsheet usually has separate sheets (tabs) for:
- Deal summary / Project overview
- Purchase & acquisition costs
- Rehab budget & contractor costs
- Timeline / Gantt chart
- Cash flow / draw schedule
- Sales & closing projections
- Sensitivity & ROI analysis
- Contacts and notes
Each section should feed into a single dashboard giving at-a-glance status: current funds spent, remaining budget, days elapsed, projected profit, and breakeven date.
1) Deal summary / Project overview
This top-level sheet is your executive snapshot. Include:
- Property address and MLS number
- Purchase price
- ARV (After Repair Value) — best, likely, and conservative estimates
- Target profit (dollar amount and percentage)
- Funding mix: cash, hard money loan, private money, etc.
- Key dates: offer accepted, close, start of rehab, estimated completion
Key metrics to display:
- Projected profit = ARV − (purchase price + total rehab + holding costs + selling costs)
- Profit margin (%) = Projected profit / (purchase price + total rehab + holding & selling costs)
Example formulas (Excel/Google Sheets):
- Projected profit: =B_ARV – (B_Purchase + B_Rehab + B_Holding + B_Selling)
- Profit margin: =ProjectedProfit / (B_Purchase + B_Rehab + B_Holding + B_Selling)
2) Purchase & acquisition costs
Track all costs required to acquire the property:
- Purchase price
- Earnest money deposit
- Title and escrow fees
- Loan points and origination fees
- Inspection costs, appraisal fees
- Closing costs (prorations, taxes)
- Immediate repairs required at close
Keep both estimated and actual columns to record variances. A small column for notes (vendor, invoice number) helps audits later.
3) Rehab budget & contractor costs
Break the rehab into line-item categories so you can control scope creep:
- Demolition & site prep
- Structural (foundation, framing, roofing)
- Exterior (siding, windows, doors)
- Systems (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)
- Interior finishes (drywall, paint, flooring)
- Kitchen & bath (cabinets, counters, fixtures)
- Landscaping & curb appeal
- Permits & inspections
- Contingency (typically 5–15%)
Include columns:
- Budgeted cost
- Contracted cost (if applicable)
- Actual paid
- Remaining balance
- Start & finish dates per line item
- Vendor/contractor contact
Use conditional formatting to highlight items over budget or unpaid invoices past due.
Sample formula to keep track of contingency use:
- Remaining contingency: =ContingencyBudget – SUM(ActualOveragesOnLineItems)
4) Timeline / Gantt chart
Delays kill profits. Visualize your schedule with a simple Gantt chart:
- Columns: Task, Duration (days), Start date, End date, % complete
- Use bar formatting in spreadsheet to show progress
- Link contractor start/end dates to the rehab budget sheet for consistency
Automate warnings:
- If TODAY() > End date and % complete < 100% => flag as delayed.
- Calculate days behind: =MAX(0, TODAY() – PlannedEndDate)
5) Cash flow / draw schedule
A draw schedule maps when money goes out and when you expect inflows (or closings). Include:
- Opening cash balance
- Scheduled draws (dates and amounts) for rehab
- Loan disbursements and interest accruals
- Monthly holding costs: mortgage, insurance, utilities, taxes, HOA
- Expected sale proceeds and closing date
- Net cash position over time
Important formulas:
- Running cash balance: =PreviousBalance – Payments + Disbursements
- Accrued interest (simple): =OutstandingLoan * (AnnualInterestRate/365) * DaysOutstanding
Plot a line chart of cash balance to easily spot negative dips that require bridging loans.
6) Sales & closing projections
Estimate selling costs and net proceeds:
- Real estate commission (e.g., 5–6%)
- Title/closing fees
- Staging/marketing costs
- Escrow and transfer taxes
- Repairs requested by buyer
Net proceeds formula:
- Net proceeds = ARV – SellingCosts – RemainingLoanBalance
Compare net proceeds against total invested capital to compute ROI and cash-on-cash returns.
7) Sensitivity & ROI analysis
Run scenarios — best-case, base-case, worst-case:
- Vary ARV (−10% to +10%), rehab overruns (0% to +30%), and days on market.
- Show resulting profits and IRR for each scenario.
Simple IRR in Excel/Sheets:
- Use the IRR() function with a series of cash flows: initial purchase as negative, interim cash flows during rehab (negative), final sale proceeds (positive).
Create a small table to show how much the ARV or rehab overrun changes profit.
| Scenario | ARV | Rehab Overrun | Projected Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best | +10% | 0% | $X |
| Base | 0% | +10% | $Y |
| Worst | −10% | +30% | $Z |
8) Contacts, permits & documentation log
Keep a central log of:
- Contractors with licenses and insurance numbers
- Permit numbers and inspection dates
- Lien waivers and receipts
- Photos (file links) before, during, after
This reduces legal risk and makes resale smoother.
Practical spreadsheet design tips
- Use data validation dropdowns for vendors, trade categories, and status values to keep entries consistent.
- Freeze header rows and use named ranges for key totals to keep formulas readable.
- Protect cells with formulas to avoid accidental edits; keep input cells unlocked for team members.
- Keep an audit trail column: who edited, when, and why (manual or automated timestamp).
- Use separate “Estimate” and “Actual” columns and a variance column to show overruns in dollars and percent.
Example starter layout (tabs)
- Dashboard / Summary
- Acquisition Costs
- Rehab Budget (line-item)
- Timeline / Gantt
- Cash Flow / Draws
- Sales & Closing
- Sensitivity Analysis
- Contacts & Permits
- Photos & Documents
Common mistakes to avoid
- Underestimating holding costs (taxes, utilities, insurance).
- Skipping a contingency line — unforeseen issues happen.
- Not tracking purchase-to-sale timeline tightly — each extra month eats profit.
- Mixing personal and project finances — maintain a project-only cash ledger.
- Not reconciling actual receipts and invoices weekly.
Quick checklist before closing a flip
- All contractor liens waived and paid
- Final permit inspections passed
- Final punch list completed
- Staging and listing photos done
- Updated spreadsheet with final costs and cash flows
- Pre-close payout schedule for lenders and sellers prepared
A disciplined spreadsheet combined with weekly reviews gives you control over costs, time, and cash flow — the three levers that decide whether a flip makes money. Start with the template structure above, then customize categories to match local codes, labor costs, and your funding sources.
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