Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat (BRRRR)

Definition

BRRRR is a five-step rental-acquisition strategy: Buy a distressed property below market, Rehab to a rentable standard, Rent to a qualified tenant, Refinance based on the new After Repair Value, and Repeat with the recovered capital. The goal is to convert short-term private capital into long-term agency financing while pulling most or all of the equity back out.

Worked example

Buy at $300k + $60k rehab = $360k all-in. After 6 months, ARV is $480k and a 75% LTV refinance returns $360k — fully recycling capital while keeping the property as a cash-flowing rental.

How DealIntel uses it

BRRRR is one of six strategies in the DealIntel underwriting engine. The platform stress-tests the refinance step against rate, DSCR, and absorption shocks, so a deal that 'pencils' on paper but breaks on a rate spike is flagged before the buy.

Related terms

• After Repair Value · ARVThe estimated market value of a property after planned renovations are complete.
• Loan-to-Value · LTVThe ratio of a loan amount to the appraised value of the underlying property.
• Debt-Service Coverage Ratio Loan · DSCRAn investment property loan qualified on the property's rental income rather than the borrower's W-2 income.
• Capitalization Rate · Cap RateThe annual unlevered return of an income property, expressed as a percentage of its value.

Matt Abadi is the founder of DealIntel. He leads the development of the platform's six-strategy underwriting engine, 25-point Kill List, and Monte-Carlo financial model — the institutional analysis stack DealIntel applies to every fix and flip deal. DealIntel was founded in 2025 with the central thesis that knowing when not to invest is the most valuable number on the page.