After-Repair Value (ARV)

How to Calculate After-Repair Value (ARV)

The after-repair value, or “ARV”, is the fair value of a property once repairs, renovations, or property improvements have been implemented.

Commercial real estate (CRE) investors that engage in the strategic acquisitions of properties – formally referred to as the value-add strategy – will seldom lease out rental units immediately post-closing of a transaction.

Under the value-add strategy, the real estate investor acquires a property with the objective of raising the rental rate of an existing property.

There are exceptions, of course, but for most value-add acquisitions, the investor will first spend time to improve the quality of the individual property units, amenities, and common areas post-acquisition.

In short, the more rental income generated by the property at stabilization relative to the income level prior to the ownership transfer, the higher the return on the property investment.

If the impact on the pricing rate increases while the occupancy rate remains stable (or improves), then the after-repair value (ARV) of the property increases – all else being equal.

The period of unoccupancy, assuming the vacant units are not available for rent (i.e. “off the market”) can be perceived as an investment in itself, as the property improvements will pay off over the long term.

The new property owner, however, cannot merely step in and increase the rental pricing, to state the obvious. Instead, tangible improvements must first be applied to the property to improve the pricing rate and total rental income collected, or else the renewal rate and the occupancy rate would reduce.

If the rental units of the property are priced above the market rate for no valid reason, existing tenants are less likely to renew their current leases and new tenants will instead sign elsewhere.

Therefore, the property owner must truly add real value to the property for the increase in pricing to be justifiable and thus resulting in a higher property valuation (i.e. sale price).

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After-Repair Value Formula

The formula to calculate the after-repair value (ARV) of a property is the purchase price of the property plus the value anticipated from repairs, renovations, and related improvements .

The property purchase price is the asking price set by the seller, at which the property can be acquired as of the present date.

The value of renovations, on the other hand, is the sum of all repair, renovation, and related spending activities.

Note: While the cost of renovation is a cash outflow, the value of the spending is input as a positive figure here, rather than a negative integer.

How Do Existing Tenants Impact the After-Repair Value?

If there are existing tenants at the acquired rental property, the new owner must first strictly abide by the tenants’ leasing agreements with prior management until the lease terms come to an end.

The rental payments from the occupied units can offset some of the foregone rental income, contributing a stable stream of income for the property owner while changes are made elsewhere.

Note that the presence of existing tenants only applies to value-add projects, not developmental projects, where the investor purchases land on which to construct a new property.

In contrast, there are no existing tenants for developmental projects, considering the building is built from scratch.