Before I quote a kitchen or price a roof, I walk through the house and count rooms for paint. Here's the $700-per-room rule that keeps my rehab budgets honest.

How I Price Paint Jobs on Flip Properties — And Why It's the First Number I Run

April 2025 — Kennett Square, PA

When I'm teaching agents how to run numbers on a flip or a renovation listing, the first line item I walk them through is always paint.

Not the roof. Not the kitchen. Paint.

Why? Because paint is predictable, it's visible in every room, and it sets the baseline for whether you're being conservative or aggressive with your rehab budget.

And if you can't get paint right, the rest of your spreadsheet is already off.

The $700-per-Room Rule

Most of the painters I work with charge around $700 per room to paint the interior of a house that's being prepped for resale.

That's not the same price you'd pay to have your primary residence painted with premium finishes and two weeks of prep. This is production paint — clean, neutral, move-in ready.

Here's how I count:

Walk in the front door. Dining room on the left, living room on the right? Two rooms.
Foyer and stairway? Call it one to one-and-a-half rooms.
Kitchen and family room flowing together? I'll count that as two.
Garage? Always. A clean, painted garage in Accessible Beige or Agreeable Gray makes the whole house feel tighter. Count it as one room.

By the time I'm done walking the property, I've got a room count. Multiply by $700, and I've got my interior paint number.

Exterior Paint: Budget $5,000–$7,000

Outside the house, the variables go up — prep work, siding condition, number of stories, trim detail.

I typically assume $5,000 to $7,000 for exterior paint on a single-family home in Chester County. If there's extensive wood rot or failing trim, that number can climb quickly.

But again: if you're new to this and you're trying to make your first deal work, always pad the estimate. Better to come in under budget than to eat a $3,000 surprise two weeks before closing.

A Warning: Don't Use This Spreadsheet to Quote Clients

I built this system for my deals, with my contractors, in my market.

Your painter might be cheaper. Your client might want Benjamin Moore Aura on every wall. The house might need serious drywall repair before anyone picks up a brush.

So use these numbers as a training baseline, not a promise. Walk the property. Get three quotes. Build relationships with painters who will text you back.

And if you're not sure whether to count a space as one room or two? Count it as two. You'd rather make $700 less profit than lose $7,000 because you got cute with the estimate.

Why I Start With Paint

Paint is the easiest number to stress-test.

If I walk a property and realize the interior paint alone is going to be $8,000, I know immediately whether the deal still works at my target purchase price.

And if it doesn't, I'm not wasting time pricing countertops.

That's the difference between running numbers like an investor and running them like someone who's hoping the deal works out.

FAQ: Pricing Paint on Rehab Properties

Q: Does the $700-per-room estimate include trim and ceilings?
Yes — for most production painters working on flips, that's walls, trim, and ceilings in a neutral color. If you want custom accent walls or specialty finishes, add 20–30% to the estimate.

Q: Should I paint the garage?
Always. A painted garage in a neutral tone (Accessible Beige, Repose Gray) makes the whole house feel finished. It's a small cost with a big return on buyer perception.

Q: What if I want to save money and do the paint myself?
I've done this. Multiple times. And I've learned that the $1,500 I saved cost me $15,000 in opportunity cost — deals I didn't write, clients I didn't follow up with, listings I didn't chase. If you're licensed and actively selling, your time is better spent in front of buyers. Hire the painter.