House flipping is not for the faint of heart, and with today’s lack of housing inventory, competition is fiercer than ever. Compared to last year, the biggest difference in 2018 is that the increase in buyers might push home values even higher. In this market, finding a buyer usually isn’t the problem. Finding an affordable property to flip is. With house flipping careful planning and patience reign supreme. If low inventory means you’re doing fewer flips this year, you’d better make sure your flips are second to none. Experts point out what to keep in mind when flipping a home so that you are not caught flat-footed.
First, set a maximum for the price home in which you would consider investing for the short term. Don’t leave out closing costs, a budget for staging, and carrying costs — things like insurance and taxes. In fact, it’s even more prudent to expect the worst while hoping for the best when flipping.
Next, set a budget for renovations. Best not to compare yourself to reality (fantasy) TV flippers, who can buy the worst home in the best neighborhood and gut it entirely. They have more resources and capital in their hands than most house-flippers, since they are tasked with entertaining you as they renovate. Have you ever watched the credits at the end of each show? You’ll see vendors doing things for free just to see their names scrolling past. Even in the real world, however, this is where relationships come in. Establishing a great buddy-contractor, one dedicated to helping you do high quality flips within a reasonable period of time (without taking on a bunch of side jobs at the same time) will go a long way to permitting you to sleep at night while your flip is in process.
Location, of course, is key. Choose a house in an up-and-coming neighborhood that may be on the brink of gentrification. Study these neighborhoods by driving around as well as pestering the planners at City Hall to check out what businesses, schools, facilities and infrastructure may be planned for the area. The most important piece of homework you’ll do, however, is to study recent comparably-priced homes and sales in the neighborhood — homes that have closed escrow within the past 3-6 months, asking prices on homes currently for sale, DOM (days on market) and study keenly the ones that
never sold to analyze why they failed to find love. A great exercise is to go to every open house you can on weekends in the area you are considering to check out demand as well as the buyer demographic.
Savvy house flippers are super sleuths. They look for houses not yet on the market, going straight to an owner, a bank auction or a housing wholesaler for a better deal. But often you can partner up with a good Realtor who specializes in the area in which you are considering investing. He or she knows the market like the backs of their hands, and may offer you expertise in exchange for being the listing agent after you pound that final nail. When readying a flip for sale, those in the know advise you to
concentrate on kitchens, bathrooms, systems, paint and flooring. Don’t get too fancy. New appliances and fixtures, as well as a bit of discount granite can go a long way to making a gem out of an ugly duckling. Buyers prefer hard surface flooring to carpeting, but there are so many inexpensive (gorgeous) options to tile and real hardwood. You’ll find buyers focusing how the house makes them feel as well as how their lives fit into it instead of whether the floors are real wood.
Lastly, set your expectations realistically. House flipping in general is not a get-rich-quick scheme, even if one good sale might pay off all your credit cards. Football games are won ten yards at a time before players do their happy dance in the end zone. The most cost-effective way to flip is to look at tidy profits rather than a fantasy. Steady house flippers stay the course, establishing a reputation for being prudent investors, all of which impresses local residents as well as real estate agents and makes it easier and easier to find financing.
Source: TBWS