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

Cost excluded from the minimum lease payments to be made by the lessee in a capital lease. The lessee reimburses the lessor for the lessor's expense payments. ...

Out-of-state or out of jurisdiction administrator appointed to probate a decedents property when there is no executer or executrix. ...

Deed used to transfer property rights to a governmental authority. ...

Gift of real property as stipulated in a will. ...

An individual or business that buys someone else's equity in property but may not assume any responsibility for a loan balance. ...

Underwriting is a term often used with financial connotation. It is a process that helps individuals or institutions to determine if it’s worth taking a financial risk in a particular ...

Increase in the outstanding loan balance arising when the mortgage payment does not fully meet the interest charge on the loan. This occurs under indexed loans or when the indexed rate ...

Haven’t you ever paid a bill a few days after the due date? It happened to all of us, not necessarily because we didn’t have the money, but because we simply forgot about it. A ...

Removal of land by the action of water. See also erosion. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions