Repair Tier Worksheet
For cold callers, lead managers, acquisitions and dispositions. After reading this page you will be able to turn a seller's phone answers into a repair tier and a Narqix planning estimate in under five minutes, and record it in the standard repair note.
Track: Real Estate · Role: Cold Caller, Lead Manager, Acquisitions, Dispositions · Time to complete: 15 min
These are Narqix planning estimates, not contractor bids. When a client has its own repair numbers, or a contractor walks the property, those numbers replace this table. The method is taught on the Repair Estimating page in the Real Estate track.
The four repair tiers
Each tier includes everything in the tier before it.
| Tier | Adds | Typical picture |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Light fixtures, flooring, interior paint | Lived-in and maintained. Dated colors and worn floors. Everything works. |
| Needs Work | Countertops and appliances, vanities and toilets, exterior paint | Kitchen and baths old but usable. Exterior looks tired. |
| Full Cosmetic | Cabinets, tubs and showers, water heater | Kitchen and baths need replacing. Major systems mostly OK. |
| Full Gut | Roof, HVAC (heating and cooling), windows | Big systems old or failing. The house needs nearly everything. |
The Narqix rehab table
Find the row for the living area, then the column for the tier. Amounts in US dollars.
| Living area (sqft) | Easy | Needs Work | Full Cosmetic | Full Gut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 to 1,000 | 10K | 20K | 30K | 50K |
| 1,000 to 1,500 | 15K | 30K | 50K | 60K to 70K |
| 1,500 to 2,000 | 20K | 40K | 60K | 80K to 90K |
| 2,000 to 2,500 | 30K | 60K | 80K | 100K to 120K |
| Over 2,500 | 40K | 80K | 100K | 130K to 150K |
Ranges: for Full Gut, use the top of the range when information is thin, the seller is vague, or there are signs of hidden damage. Use the middle only when the seller gave clear, specific answers and photos support them.
Boundaries: if the home sits right on a row boundary (for example exactly 1,500 sqft), use the higher row when condition is uncertain.
Cross-check (mid-size homes, about 1,500 to 2,500 sqft): Easy about USD 10 to 15 per sqft, Needs Work about USD 20 to 30, Full Cosmetic about USD 30 to 40, Full Gut about USD 40 to 60. Far outside these? Check the row and tier again.
The template
REPAIR TIER WORKSHEET · (PROPERTY ADDRESS) · (DATE) · (YOUR NAME)
SIZE
Living area: (SQFT) Row: (ROW FROM REHAB TABLE)
Year built: (YEAR) Built before about 1960: (YES OR NO)
THE BIG FIVE (decide Full Gut)
1. Roof: age (YEARS), leaks (YES OR NO)
2. Heating and cooling: furnace age (YEARS), AC age (YEARS), working (YES OR NO)
3. Windows: (ORIGINAL, SINGLE PANE OR REPLACED, WHEN)
4. Plumbing and water heater: leaks (YES OR NO), water heater age (YEARS)
5. Electrical: panel (UPDATED OR ORIGINAL), seller concerns (ANSWER)
Big five items failing or near end of life: (COUNT)
THE FINISHES (decide Easy, Needs Work or Full Cosmetic)
Kitchen cabinets: (ORIGINAL OR REPLACED, WHEN)
Countertops and appliances: (STATE AND AGE)
Bathrooms (tubs, showers, vanities, toilets): (ORIGINAL OR UPDATED, WHEN)
Flooring: (TYPE AND STATE)
Interior paint: (WHEN) Exterior paint: (WHEN)
Seller's answer to "what would you fix first": "(THEIR WORDS)"
RED FLAGS (any one: choose at least Full Gut and flag for acquisitions review)
Foundation: (YES OR NO) Fire, flood or major water damage: (YES OR NO)
Large-area mold: (YES OR NO) Septic or well problems: (YES OR NO)
Sewer line backups: (YES OR NO) Termite or structural wood damage: (YES OR NO)
Old or "dangerous" wiring or panel: (YES OR NO) Unpermitted additions: (YES OR NO)
Hoarding, heavy trash-out or squatters: (YES OR NO) Asbestos or lead paint concern: (YES OR NO)
RESULT
Tier: (EASY, NEEDS WORK, FULL COSMETIC OR FULL GUT)
Table amount: (AMOUNT OR RANGE)
Point chosen in range (Full Gut only): (TOP OR MIDDLE), because (REASON)
Regional factor from client: (NONE, or PERCENT)
Planning estimate: (AMOUNT) (Narqix planning estimate)
Red flag review needed: (YES OR NO)
Source: (SELLER PHONE ANSWERS, PHOTOS OR WALKTHROUGH)Decision guide
| What you hear | Tier |
|---|---|
| "Just needs paint and new carpet." Kitchen and baths updated in the last 10 to 15 years. Systems fine. | Easy |
| Kitchen works but counters and appliances are old. Vanities and toilets dated. Outside needs paint. Systems fine. | Needs Work |
| Cabinets and bathrooms original or falling apart. Old water heater. Roof and HVAC fine or fairly new. | Full Cosmetic |
| Roof over about 20 years old or leaking, HVAC old or not working, original windows, plus dated interiors | Full Gut |
| Two or more of the big five failing | Full Gut, even if the seller says "it just needs a little work" |
The repair note (paste into the CRM)
Sqft and row: (SQFT), row (ROW)
Tier: (TIER)
Estimate: (AMOUNT) (Narqix planning estimate)
Big five: roof (AGE), HVAC (AGE), windows (STATUS), plumbing and water heater (STATUS), electrical (STATUS)
Finishes: kitchen (STATUS), baths (STATUS), floors (STATUS), paint (STATUS)
Red flags: (LIST, or "none mentioned")
Source: (SELLER PHONE ANSWERS, PHOTOS OR WALKTHROUGH)Worked example: the 1,450 sqft ranch
Sqft and row: 1,450 sqft, row 1,000 to 1,500
Tier: Full Cosmetic
Estimate: 50K (Narqix planning estimate)
Big five: roof about 8 yrs, HVAC about 6 yrs, windows replaced about 2010, water heater about 15 yrs, no plumbing problems, panel age not known
Finishes: kitchen original 1979, both baths original with old tubs, worn carpet, interior paint about 12 yrs
Red flags: none mentioned
Source: seller phone answers, Oct 19Why Full Cosmetic: cabinets, tubs and the water heater need replacing, but the roof, HVAC and windows are fine. That rules out Full Gut.
Practice: pick the tier and estimate
- 1,850 sqft. Roof leaking in the back bedroom, AC died two summers ago, single-pane windows. → Full Gut, row 1,500 to 2,000: 80K to 90K. Use 90K (active leak, possible hidden water damage).
- 900 sqft. Kitchen redone 8 years ago, roof 6 years, needs paint and carpet. → Easy, row 500 to 1,000: 10K.
- 1,250 sqft. Old laminate counters, 20-year-old stove, old vanity, peeling outside paint, roof and AC 7 years. → Needs Work, row 1,000 to 1,500: 30K.
- 2,800 sqft. Kitchen fire last year, smoke damage in most rooms. → Full Gut, over 2,500: 150K plus a red flag. Acquisitions reviews before any offer.
Coach's note: Listen for facts, not adjectives. "The AC stopped working last summer" outweighs ten "it's a solid house" comments. Write ages and the words "original", "leak" and "replaced" exactly as the seller said them.
Never do this: Never price a red flag yourself. Never go below the table in a lower-cost area without the client's approval. Never lower the repair estimate to make an offer work.
Check yourself
- List what each tier adds.
- A 1,700 sqft home needs a new roof and AC, and the kitchen is original. What is the estimate?
- When do you use the top of a Full Gut range?
- A seller mentions "big cracks in the basement wall". What goes on the worksheet?
Answers
- Easy: light fixtures, flooring, interior paint. Needs Work adds countertops and appliances, vanities and toilets, exterior paint. Full Cosmetic adds cabinets, tubs and showers, water heater. Full Gut adds roof, HVAC, windows.
- Full Gut, row 1,500 to 2,000: 80K to 90K. Use 90K unless the seller gave clear, specific answers.
- When information is thin, the seller is vague, or there are signs of hidden damage.
- Foundation red flag marked Yes, tier at least Full Gut, red flag review needed Yes, and the lead flagged for acquisitions review.
© Narqix Academy