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

Type of property distribution occurring when a person dies intestate. The estate id divided by the children of the deceased and by their children. For example, if a husband dies intestate, ...

The yield after deduction inflation and its effects. It is the return on investment stated in real purchasing power. ...

Land that has poor income potential, usually used in an agricultural sense meaning that the land is untellable, has poor access, is extremely steep, has suffered serious erosion, is ...

Having a traditional salt box architecture with clapboard siding, the New England Colonial was enlarged for additional family members by adding extensions, often at the rear of the home. ...

Partial fulfillment. Pro tanto is normally used in relation to the partial satisfaction of a claim. For example, a pro tanto settlement in an eminent domain action will not prejudice any ...

See historic structure. ...

Stigmatized property is a property that home buyers might back off on closing a deal due to factors that are not related to the property’s price, structural/aesthetic conditions and ...

Ownership by two or more persons that give the right to use the entire property. ...

Group of people residing in one home, usually consisting of a family. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions