Platform · Glossary
Gap analysis.
Gap analysis compares the property’s asking price with the 3Y Estimate™, the goal-convergent price supported by the selected goal and the current assumptions.
The asking price is the market-facing number in front of the investor. The 3Y Estimate answers a different question: what price can the property’s modeled income, expenses, financing, and selected goal support? Gap analysis makes the difference between those two numbers visible.
How the gap is calculated
Gap amount = Asking price − 3Y Estimate
Gap percentage = (Asking price − 3Y Estimate) ÷ 3Y Estimate
A positive gap means the asking price is above the goal-convergent price. A negative gap means the asking price is below it. A zero gap means the asking price meets the selected goal under the current assumptions.
How 3Y interprets the relationship
| Modeled relationship | What the report explains |
|---|---|
| No tested price supports the goal | The selected goal is not reached within the tested price range under the current assumptions. |
| Asking price below the 3Y Estimate | The property meets the selected goal at the asking price under the current assumptions. The result may still depend materially on the financing and operating inputs used. |
| Asking price equals the 3Y Estimate | The asking price meets the selected goal under the current assumptions. |
| Asking price up to 5% above the 3Y Estimate | The report treats this as a small gap that may sometimes be addressed through routine negotiation or minor concessions, depending on the seller and deal terms. |
| Asking price more than 5% and up to 15% above | Closing the gap may require a meaningful price reduction, seller concessions, or stronger assumptions supported by the deal data. |
| Asking price more than 15% above | Routine negotiation alone may not be enough to close the modeled gap. |
These bands describe the report’s interpretation policy. They do not predict what a seller will accept or decide whether the property is a good investment.
What may change the gap
A gap can change when the inputs that drive goal-convergent valuation change. Useful scenarios to pressure-test include:
- income or expense assumptions supported by actual deal data;
- alternative loan terms;
- a different down payment when financing remains a meaningful analytical lever;
- a different selected goal, provided it still preserves the investor’s minimum return and cash-flow requirements; or
- a different purchase price or seller concessions.
Goal reduction is not the default way to force an asking price to work. When modeled cash flow is already thin, 3Y may omit or qualify that scenario rather than encourage the investor to remove the remaining cushion.
What gap analysis is not
Gap analysis is not an appraisal, a market-value opinion, a recommended offer, or a prediction of seller behavior. It is part of 3Y’s personalized real estate analysis: a transparent comparison between the market-facing asking price and the goal-convergent price supported by the investor’s goal and assumptions.