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FlipScout Glossary

Definitions for fix and flip underwriting terms — MAO, ARV, Hard Reject, absorption, and Apex Score.

Official definitions for the underwriting terms FlipScout uses across Goldmine hubs, MAO calculator, and property analysis. Each term has a dedicated page for crawlers and deep links.

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MAO — Max Allowable Offer
Max Allowable Offer is the highest purchase price that still clears your required profit after rehab, carry, sell costs, buy closing, and slippage. FlipScout QDA defaults: 12% net of ARV, 4-mo carry at 0.7%/mo, 2% slip, 2% buy / 6% sell. Use the free MAO calculator to stress-test asks.
Hard Reject — List Above MAO
Hard Reject means the list price is above FlipScout MAO (with a $1 tolerance) under QDA defaults. Goldmine ZIP hubs publish Hard Reject rates on Verified-with-ARV actives. Hard Reject ≈ WALK-heavy at ask on Bid Tape. Bid $ is free; Pro = streets + live Deal Architecture.
ARV — After Repair Value
After Repair Value is the expected resale value once renovations are complete. FlipScout models ARV with comps and value-add adjustments.
Apex Score
Apex Score is FlipScout's 1–100 deal quality index combining margin, condition, comps confidence, and market regime.
Absorption / Months of Supply
Months of supply = active listings ÷ monthly sales rate. High supply means slower exits and higher hold-time decay risk. FlipScout trusts MOS only on adequate sold_6m samples — thin tape stays slate.
Rehab Budget
Rehab is the estimated renovation cost to bring the property to the condition assumed in the ARV model, often Vision-assisted.