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

A type of equity participation loan where, in exchange for charging a below-market interest rate, the lender receives a predetermined percentage of a any increase in value of the property ...

The term’s abstract of title definition is the recorded summary of a property’s history. Abstracts of title can be used to determine former and present ownerships of any ...

Expenditures incurred building a structure, including material and labor. ...

That portion of a loan collaterized by a leased property extending beyond the expiration date of the lease. For example, a lending institution collaterizes a 20-year loan on a commercial ...

cash value or other consideration that can be received in a forced sale of real estate, such as that occurring in a foreclosure or when a company is going out of business. The liquidation ...

The meaning of a disclosure statement is a legal document signed by both parties, the lender and the borrower or buyer. This statement outlines the terms and conditions, the potential ...

A criminal act of falsely representing another individual to gain profit or gain an advantage. ...

income statement destroyed by a casualty such as a fire. This requires the reconstruction of the income statement based on source records, information, and documents. Income statement ...

An improvement to property that is below the standard, usual expectation. An example is when a contractor's work on a house is below the quality that the homeowner reasonably expected for ...

Popular Real Estate Questions