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

Also called investment property. Real property held by a business for investment potential or in order to earn income by leasing or letting it, rather than for its own use. ...

An interim or provisional court decree, which is not final and can be reversed or amended, normally issued to direct additional proceedings prior to issuing a final decree. For example, an ...

Tax term describing current and necessary business expenses. Ordinary and necessary business expenses do not include long-term capital losses. For example, the XYZ stationary store deducts ...

Individuals who are legally entitled to inherit money and property when someone dies. ...

Payment made by the tenant to the landlord for the right to use property, such as an apartment or office. ...

Method of valuing a property through examination and comparison of recent sales of comparable properties. ...

Maximum credit a prospective buyer may be given. An example is the maximum mortgage a prospective home buyer may receive from the bank. ...

You may have heard the term codicil in a conversation but might have yet to understand it entirely. What’s the codicil definition? “Codicil meaning” refers to a supplement ...

The annuity factor definition is the use of a financial method that shows the value, present or future, of an amount when it is multiplied by a periodic amount. The calculation of an ...

Popular Real Estate Questions