House Flipping vs Power Washing / Exterior Cleaning, startup cost comparison, StartupLenz

House Flipping

Higher net

Fix-and-flip real estate. Acquisition, rehab, holding costs, and resale economics.

Gross$275,000

Net profit$18,330

Margin6.7%

Orders/mo0.17

Purchase price$180,000 65%

Acquisition closing$4,100 1%

Rehab + contingency$40,250 15%

Loan points$2,520 1%

Holding interest$6,300 2%

Holding carry costs$2,750 1%

Selling fees$20,750 8%

launch · Year 1$36,660

traction · Year 2$57,740

scale · Year 3+$80,652

Profit looks fine but you're $27,750 over the 70% rule. Working — but a softer market would eat the cushion.

Mobile exterior cleaning. Homes, driveways, decks, fleets. Capital-intensive at the start, real margins once routes get dense.

Gross$6,859

Net profit$2,748

Margin40.1%

Orders/mo25

Crew wages$1,893 28%

Chemicals$449 7%

Card fees$199 3%

Vehicle (truck/trailer)$750 11%

Equipment payment$200 3%

Insurance$220 3%

Software + tools$50 1%

Marketing$350 5%

launch · 1–3$1,021

traction · 4–8$3,081

scale · 9–12$5,407

Strong service margins. Add a second rig and a part-timer before adding more marketing.