What's the most you should offer?

Why 70%?

The 70% rule is investing shorthand: an investor aims to be all-in at no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value, leaving the other 30% to cover holding costs, selling costs, and profit. So your max offer is roughly (ARV × 70%) − rehab.

Wholesaling? Subtract your assignment fee too — that's the spread you keep when you pass the deal to an end buyer, and they still need their margin to say yes.

It's a starting guardrail, not a law. Strong markets sometimes justify 75–80%; heavy rehabs or slow markets call for less. Always run the full numbers before you commit.