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

Clause in a mortgage that allows the borrower to pay more than the monthly amount and to retire the loan early without a penalty. ...

Stated rate of interest on the face amount of a loan or installment note. ...

Provision in a written agreement that depends on the occurrence of something else. ...

To default on a loan means to intentionally or unintentionally miss several consecutive monthly payments over the course of a few weeks or months. Most borrowers learn the definition of ...

An early term used to describe all types of real estate property, improvements to the land, and all rights accruing to the land. ...

Fee paid only if other criteria are met. ...

Same as term soil porosity: Extent to which soil has cavities or pores, thereby allowing water to pass through. ...

Statutes stipulating that the property of deceased individuals is distributed in a way that assumes that property during marriage is jointly owned and equally shared by the spouses ...

A judicial ruling in which the rights and claims of the parties have been considered. A final ruling on some aspect formed after all the facts have been taken into account. In Real ...

Popular Real Estate Questions