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

The cost of property, such as a home owned for tax purposes. For example, a home was purchased for $150,000. capital improvements to it cost $15,000. The house was later sold for $230,000. ...

Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is a measure of the cost of credit that must be reported by lenders under the Truth in Lending regulations. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) takes into ...

Any geographic taxing division where the legally chosen representatives are charged with the responsibility of assessing taxable property and collecting tax revenue. ...

Owner has rights to water on his land. He also has a reasonable privilege to water adjacent to his property that flows through it or abutting it. ...

If you are involved with real estate, chances are you've come across the term "convey" or conveyance. But what does convey mean in real estate? This term is crucial whether you're buying, ...

Situation in which an owner of property sells the property to an investor and then leases the property back, usually for a 20- or 30- year term. ...

Market price pf all the property prior to a condemnation proceeding. ...

Offering price. ...

You can frequently encounter “circa” in everyday discourse, referring to an approximation as an approximate date. Variations of circa are: about, near, and roughly.  The ...

Popular Real Estate Questions