Definition of "Replacement cost"

Mary  O Connell real estate agent

Written by

Mary O Connellelite badge icon

O Connell Properties

Are you thinking to yourself: What does replacement cost mean?

When someone in the Real Estate Market mentions Replacement Cost, they are talking about an evaluation of how much it would cost to build a completely identical new house to replace an old one. By completely identical, read as built with the same materials (or materials of equal quality), the same square footage and the same amount of bedrooms, bathrooms and whatever other types of rooms the preexisting house had. Included in this calculation is also the manpower required to build the new house on the place of the old one.

Why is this done? Well, determining the replacement value of an asset is mostly done for insurance reasons – like calculating the depreciation of the house over its useful life to cover any damage – but the so-called replacement cost approach can also be done by an Appraiser in order to help assert the Market Value of a house in volatile markets where the real estate market external factors are difficult to evaluate.

Real Estate Secrets:

Building a new house to replace the old one? There are a bunch of other terms you should look on our 
Glossary to guide you through this tiring process!

You know a difficult replacement cost to calculate? That of a trustworthy agent! Use The OFFICIAL Real Estate Directory® to find one!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Certification granted by the Realtors National Marketing Institute, which is affiliated with the National Association of Realtors. ...

The process of upgrading unusable land through making physical improvements. For example, swamp land can be drained and filled in order to make it usable. Barren land can be reforested by ...

To enter illegally. For example, entering property without permission. ...

In land surveying, the point al which two properties intersect constituting a boundary line between the properties. A corner can be determined by either a survey or general agreement ...

Having two families live in a residence designed for only one family. This violates single-family residence zoning. ...

Storage of inactive items, including automobiles, for a certain period. Normally, a storage facility, charging a fee, provides dead storage of items. To prevent deterioration, dead ...

An agreement in which the trustee takes title of the property ( called corpus) owned by the grantor (donor) to protect or conserve it for either the grantor or the trust's beneficiary. The ...

Power of attorney giving permission for a lawyer to represent a client. ...

Transfer of title based on a preceding title transfer of conveyance. A derivative conveyance increases, ratifies, moderates, renews or transfers the stake created by the original ...

Popular Real Estate Questions