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Make-Ready Capex Calculator

Make-ready cost — the work between move-out and the next move-in — is one of the most-watched line items in multifamily operations. Industry benchmark: $1,500-3,500 per turn for standard apartments. Higher turn frequency drives proportionally higher portfolio spend. This calculator builds the cost per turn and the annual portfolio spend across the unit count.

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Cost / turn

$2,245

Annual make-ready spend

$107,760

Per unit / year

$898

How the math works

Make-ready costs cover the work between move-out and move-in: paint, carpet (often only 30-70% of turns), appliance repair, deep cleaning, and minor punch list. Industry benchmark: $1,500-3,500 per turn for standard apartment; less for short-stay corporate units.

Reduce make-ready cost by 20-40% via proactive maintenance during occupancy, security deposits aligned with damage, and resident education on minor maintenance.

How to Use

  1. Enter line items: paint, carpet (with replacement probability), appliance avg, cleaning, minor repairs.
  2. Enter turns per year per unit (typical 0.3-0.6) and unit count.
  3. Read cost per turn and annual portfolio spend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Carpet replacement probability?

Class A 25-40% (most carpets last 4-6 turns); Class B 50-65%; Class C 70-90%. Drives the bulk of the variance in make-ready cost.

Resident retention vs make-ready?

Each prevented turn saves $1.5-3.5K make-ready plus 1-3 weeks vacancy + leasing commission. Retention concessions of $500-1,000 often net positive.

Cap classification?

Make-ready is a mix — paint and minor repairs are opex; carpet and appliance replacement is capex. Industry typical 60% expense / 40% capitalize.

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