Do’s and Don’ts of Flipping Houses

In order to succeed with flipping houses there are certain things you absolutely must do and few things you must avoid. Whether you are a novice or an experienced investor you have to get the basics right to begin your ride on the road to real estate investment riches. 

Five Do’s of Flipping Houses

○ Do put everything to pen and paper and plan out everything to the last detail before you start. If you to make money you need to treat it like a business. This means you need to have a plan of action flipping houses and make every effort to work towards carrying out that plan.

 ○ Do establish a budget for the entire project. You need to have a plan for how much money you are willing to invest in the property itself, how much for renovations, and how much money you need to make in order to be a worthy investment for your time and labor. A house flip is a lot of work in order to pull it off successfully. You want to have a good idea of how much homes in the neighborhood are worth, the value of your property as is and the estimated value of the property once improvements are made. In addition you should also have a pretty firm grasp of the costs involved in making the repairs in order to create a realistic budget for the entire project.

   ○ Do have an inspection. This is the single most important detail that can save you a great deal of time, money, and heartache when everything is said and done. Be prepared to walk away if the inspection determines that there is more work needing to be done than simple cosmetic repairs. You want to make changes that people can see because those are generally the changes that increase the value of the property. You want to avoid needing to make changes and improvements that aren’t visible but are very necessary. If you need to invest a lot of money and labor into the house you need to seriously consider the realistic profit potential the property offers. If the profits are not significant then you need to walk away before the property becomes a real estate investment money pit.

 ○ Do know the neighborhood and plan your flip according to the needs of the area rather than your personal tastes and needs in a home. This is another thing that many first time flippers forget. This is not a personal project it is a business project and you need to treat it as such. Keep costs down and your personal feelings out.

 ○ Do remember that you are in the market to make money with flipping houses and not waste money when it comes to establishing an asking price for the property. You’ve poured blood, sweat, and probably more than a few tears into your flip but you cannot set the value of the property by the effort you’ve placed into it. Have realistic expectations of how much you stand to earn from your efforts and how much you are willing to go down on the price in order to walk away with some profit in your pocket.

Five Don’ts of Flipping Houses

○ Don’t forget to check out the neighborhood before you buy. You will want to make sure that the property you are considering is a good fit for the neighborhood. You should also take the time to make sure that the plan you have in mind for the property will match well with the other neighborhood residents in order to guarantee a quicker sale.

 ○ Don’t blow your budget without just cause. Your budget is what you used to determine whether or not the house would be a profitable venture. If you blow your budget and cannot recover the extra money you’ve spent in the selling price on the house you will have seriously cut into your profits if not eliminated them all together. The goal in property flipping is to get in and out quickly and spend as little money as possible in order to make as much money as possible.

   ○ Don’t forget to set daily goals and hold yourself accountable to those goals. If you don’t reach your goals for the day it can set the entire project back by as much as a month depending on the goals and what has to be rearranged as a result. Time is money. Stick to your time line and your daily schedule in order to avoid potentially costly delays in time and money.

 ○ Don’t neglect the exterior. Curb appeal is what brings buyers into the property. If you spend all your money, time, and effort making improvements to the interior of the home you will have little left to make the outside appealing to potential buyers. A home buyer is in the market for the entire package. A home that looks run down on the outside leaves the impression of being neglected on the inside and many potential buyers will never walk inside if the outside looks forlorn.

   ○ Don’t spend money you don’t need to spend. While it would be great to put in granite counter tops and gourmet kitchens into every home it isn’t always practical and this is often money that will not be recovered, particularly in homes that are in marginal neighborhoods. If you want to get the most for your money avoid costly expenses that aren’t exactly necessary for the successful completion of the flip. Resurface bathroom fixtures rather than replacing them if possible and use new cabinet doors or hardware rather than adding new cabinets all together to cut down on expenses. In other words, salvage what you can, fix what needs to be fixed, and add a few cosmetic touches before moving on. 

The market for flipping houses is a very fickle market. Avoid risking too much time and money on a property that isn’t going to recover those added touches and expenses. Instead hold onto those ideas for higher end flips once you have a few successful house flips under your belt.

How To Fix and Flip Houses - 5 Part Video Series
In this 'Fix and Flip' Video flipping homes expert Steve Cook begins a walk through of one of his latest "full cosmetic rehab" projects, detailing his investment strategy, estimated rehab costs ...

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