Is an electric service upgrade worth it for fix and flip

[Jesse Clark]

So it looks like I may be doing my first fix and flip. I originally bought this property as a rental and brrrr, but the mortgage payment is looking higher than anticipated. It's just not gonna cash flow as much as I would like.  I think I can make some money from the sale and look for the next deal.

Purchase: $360,000

Renovations: $45k

Arv: $540,000

There seems to be a lot of, "do we spend money on this, or not". It's much easier with rentals. 

Question is, the electric service line coming into the house is only rated for 50amps, judging by breaker in panel and size of wire. It's 2000sq ft house, 4 bdrms. This service has been fine for 60 years, but I know there's more devices to plug in nowadays. The heating, dryer, range are all gas so that helps. Just wondering from a buyers standpoint if a home inspector would say it's an issue. Or if can be made as a feature, ( which I've seen in listings, "home upgraded to 200a service") my electrician is coming in a couple days to look at everything. Just don't know if it's worthwhile to do this. I think it's a $2-3k job. Thanks.

[Jaysen Medhurst]

@Jesse Clark, it's worth it. 50 amps is not nearly enough. At that price point in MD I think most people are going to expect central air and there's no way you have the capacity now. Beyond that things like fridges, dishwashers, dryers, and other appliances often require their own circuits. Most dryers alone are 30 amps. 50 amps is nowhere near enough.