House Flipping

House Flip Boot Camp

If you are anything like millions of Americans you have probably caught countless shows on cable television that boast the serious profits that can be made by flipping houses. This is a very true statement, serious money can be made when one goes about flipping the correct way, however, serious money can be much more easily lost when a house flip goes wrong. If you are hoping to find your way to fortune through real estate investing you need to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and understand a few house flip basics.

The first thing you need to understand is that the ultimate goal in a venture such as this is to make as much money as possible in as little time as possible. This means several things to the wise investor not the least of which is that you must always have a complete inspection performed before you make any sort of financial commitment to the house. A good inspection can help you identify work that must be done, whether or not there is any structural damage, or whether there are any unexpected problems such as signs of termites or water damage behind the walls.

These are very important things to know and should have a significant impact on your offer on the property as they will have a direct effect on how much you will need to invest in making the property sellable and whether or not the property will even be profitable when you consider how much money will be needed to get it in minimal selling condition and how much you can reasonably expect to sell the house for after that.

Once you have the inspection done it is a good idea to take into account all the things that will need to be done to improve the property and the things that must be done in order to get the property in sellable condition along with permits that are needed, inspections that are needed, and jobs that require licensed contractors in order to meet local code requirements. Each of these will take a significant amount of investment in order to accomplish and that should also reflect in your offering price.

Far too few would be house flippers manage to take in the big picture when making plans and this is where they end up missing out on the bigger profits that can be made by successfully flipping houses for the lowest possible investment with the highest possible return on their investments. When making your plans you will want to go with changes that are cost effective.

Avoid making significant structural changes to the house unless you have a licensed contractor sign off on the wisdom and safety of those changes, as they can be very costly as well as dangerous to the stability of the property. At the same time you should salvage as much as possible within the existing structure. Flooring and paint are almost always required in a house flip but you do not always need new cabinets in the kitchen or bathroom fixtures. Chances are new doors and hardware in the kitchen would be a great fix for drab and tired cabinetry while greatly impacting the overall look of the kitchen without robbing you of some serious profits (doors cost significantly less than making new cabinets and can add the appearance of custom cabinetry).

The biggest idea to walk away from house flip boot camp with is the idea that the most visual impact you can have on the home for the least amount of money the better. In other words you don’t want to purchase a home that needs new heating or air conditioning as they are not visual changes and are quite expensive. Find a house to flip that needs minor cosmetic repairs and a little dose of style and imagination and you will be able to maximize your profit. That is what real estate investing is all about after all.

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House Flipping

Funding Your Flip

Real estate investments are quite expensive. Not only do you need the money to purchase the property you will be flipping but you will also need money for the improvements, repairs, and renovations that need to be made along the way. Unfortunately, the real estate business is a tricky business and there aren’t very many traditional lenders that are willing to go full out in support of your real estate investment business venture.

This means you are going to have to either fund a good portion of the expenses yourself or you are going to have to find some other means of financing your house flip. First things first, the less you pay in interest the more money you bring home. You do not want to max out your credit cards in search of profits from a house flip if it can be avoided. Merchant accounts aren’t much better but they can help you keep better track of exactly how much money you are spending on the flip and some will even give you 90 days same as cash (this is great if you can complete the process within 90 days).

It should be said that these aren’t methods that are endorsed by the writer but they are definitely possibilities when it comes to funding your house flip. The best-case scenario is that you would have the money to play with and assume no real risk in the house flipping process but very few people trying to get started in real estate investing have that luxury.

That being said, one way that is extremely risky (especially if you are nearing retirement age) is to cash out your retirement funds. This is not attractive for many reasons not the least of which are the facts that there are hefty penalties for doing this and you are risking your retirement security. It is an option however if you are in a bind for your flip. If your flip is successful it’s water under the bridge, the money can be returned or reinvested and the profit from your flip can then help fund subsequent flips or other types of real estate investments.

If you discuss things carefully with your family and decide that you are all willing to take the risk you can also risk your home by taking out a second mortgage for the funds. Again this is not the preferred method because the assumed risk is great for the security of your family. It is very important that everyone involved be aware that flipping houses is a risky investment. Not only is it risky because you aren’t experienced but the real estate market is fickle. Your house could sit for several months requiring costly carrying costs before it sells.

Forming a partnership is another way to share the risks and help lighten the burden when it comes to flipping houses. Keep in mind that this is a stressful business venture and should be treated as a business venture. For this reason a volatile or fledgling friendship may not be the best risk for a venture such as this. If you do choose a partnership you need to carefully discuss the type of financial and labor investment that is expected of each partner and the share of profit that each partner expects to receive as well.

You should also consider carefully whether you are willing to risk the friendship for the sake of profits or would you rather go with a partnership that isn’t a close friend (most real estate investment groups have people willing to help with the financial side and assume the risk for the lion’s share of the profits).

Banks will typically fund a portion of the property costs if you can come up with an adequate down payment and show them a well thought out business plan. Do not rely on banks however if you have poor credit, lack a business plan, or do not have a sizable chunk of your own money to invest in the venture.

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House Flipping

Finding a Flip

Flipping houses is becoming increasingly popular. Unfortunately, the popularity of the idea is creating a bit of competition among those who would love to try it out for the first time. The increased competition often serves to drive up the costs involved in purchasing the profit, which only manages to lower the profit potential. However if you find a good deal and feel that the property is a good candidate for a flip you can ask yourself the following questions to help you determine whether or not the property really is a good candidate.

1. Have you had a qualified inspection and determined that there are only minor repairs that need to be made to the property and the landscaping? This is important because every repair that needs to be made will eat into your budget. You want to complete the project with as little extra money invested as possible in order to get the greatest return on your real estate investment possible.

2. Is the property suitable for the neighborhood? By this I mean is the property a three-bedroom house build for families in the middle of a retirement community or is it a one bedroom, cottage-style home in the midst of family houses? These aren’t exactly a good match and can cause problems when it comes time to sell.

3. Can the neighborhood bear the price you need to bring in from the flip? If you are creating an upscale home in a marginal neighborhood you are almost guaranteeing a loss on your investment. You want to find a house in need of repairs selling cheap in a neighborhood of much better houses so that it can bring in the profit you are hoping to get when all is said and done.

4. Can you make the changes you envision for the house on your budget and without significantly changing the structure of the house? This is a biggie and one that often gets overlooked. You do not want to start knocking out walls or creating additions when flipping a house. That is something you should leave for the new owners. You want to make as few waves as possible and only make changes that will improve the value of the home.

5. Can you improve the value of the home enough to make it worth your while in a short amount of time? This is another big deal when it comes to a house flip. It takes time and money to make the changes that most “flippers” have in mind for their investment, especially first time flippers. Do you have the time to stick with it and the money to cover the carrying costs while you are in the process of making the changes?

6. Is the property in a high demand neighborhood, city, etc. for selling properties? Another common mistake is buying in areas that are hard sells for buyers. It is often quite simple to find lower priced properties that are attractive at first glance however; if you can’t sell the property you purchase to flip it really defeats the purpose of putting all that time, effort, and money into making the improvements.

7. Can you do the work or will you need professionals and if so, will it still be cost effective? Be careful that you do not overestimate your abilities in this if possible. It is great to think you can put down a hardwood floor but the reality of doing it is quite another matter. Be sure you have a realistic understanding of the potential costs involved in the flip and whether or not the property will still be profitable in the worst-case scenario.

Answer these questions when checking out potential real estate investment and house flipping properties and you should be well on your way to a successful flip, at least as far as the selection of the property goes. You should also find a house to flip that you like as you will likely be spending a great deal of time there.

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House Flipping

Benefits of Flipping Houses

Aside from the obvious financial rewards that go along with real estate investing and flipping houses there are a few more abstract benefits that can be gained when you embark on a house flipping adventure if you are looking for a little more incentive to get going in the direction of your dreams of real estate riches through flipping houses.

Most things in life have more than one pro or con to them and the same can be said when it comes to flipping houses. Whether you are doing this for a living or this is a one-time deal you will find that there are all kinds of little lessons you learn along the way. Knowledge is rarely a bad thing and the lessons you learn while flipping houses are lessons that can be applied in many aspects of your life.

1. Budgeting. There are few things that can give you a crash course in budgeting quicker than flipping a house. In order to successfully flip the house you are working on you will need to learn to budget quickly or you will wind up literally hemorrhaging money. Learning to set a budget and stick with it are both necessary skills for any flipping houses but when they carry over into other real life applications you will find that this is a very useful skill that has you looking at everyday purchases with new eyes.

2. Muscle Definition. Who knew that flipping houses would be such an excellent workout? This is especially true for those who traditionally hold jobs that aren’t necessarily dependent upon physical labor and those that do much of the work themselves (which is highly recommended when you can in order to save expensive and profit eating labor costs.. From heavy lifting to hammering and several other physical jobs in between you should discover that your labors are rewarded in more ways than simply watching your project come together.

3. Attention to Detail. This is a huge benefit that comes from flipping houses and you will get better at this with every subsequent flip. The money, when flipping houses is often made in the small details that others will overlook such as new electric faceplates, proper staging, and a good eye for color throughout the property. These things make potential buyers see a home that is loved and cared for rather than just another house on their list of places to see. If you take this attention to detail into your 9 to 5 job after flipping houses or into your tax preparation, event planning, and home organizing you will find that the lessons you’ve learned while flipping houses are well worth the time, effort, and labor that went into learning them.

4. Positive Thinking. You will hear many times in life that positive thinking is a powerful tool. There are very few places that this holds true more than when it comes to flipping houses. You definitely want to season your positive thinking with a nice hefty dose of reality but you should be aware that thinking positively has many benefits to you when flipping houses and in almost every other aspect of your life. You do not want to spend the time you could be improving your flip searching for problems or excuses.

5. Just Do It. The old Nike commercials had a point and if flipping houses doesn’t teach you anything else it should teach you this lesson. Procrastination wastes money. Every day that you carry the house you carry the expenses of the house (electric, mortgage, interest, etc.. get in there, get it done, and move on to the next project. Putting off the distasteful tasks won’t make them go away so you may as well go ahead and get them over with.

Flipping houses isn’t rocket science but it does take a unique combination of luck, skills, and stubbornness to turn a profit in this particular business. Learning the lessons above will help you not only succeed when it comes to flipping houses but in other aspects of your life as well.

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