Flipping a House for a Real Estate Profit
House Flipping is the term used by investors who purchase a home
for the sole purpose of quickly relisting the house for a
profit. In many hot markets, a house can appreciate in as little
as a few days! In these markets, it doesn't take long to realize
a profit. However, this is the exception rather than the rule.
More commonly, an investor purchases a home in a hot market,
performs some general repairs, fixes obvious problems, paints,
and replaces flooring. This means that the investor must hold
onto the property for a few weeks to a few months. In this case,
you must be able to afford to pay the mortgage for a few months.
When searching for an investment that you want to flip, you must
find the right property. Not all homes are good candidates for
flipping. Certainly, buying a home in a depressed area would not
be a wise decision. You should look for an ugly home in a nice
neighborhood.
Many potential investors ask whether they need to be a handyman
or contractor to successfully flip a house. Not at all! You can
be the "general contractor" and manage the house repair while
you get it ready to resell. Of course, much of your profits will
go to the people doing the work on your home, but you don't have
to give up your "day job" to get the work done.
When budgeting for your flip, a good idea is to get estimates
from several contractors. Ask them to quote the price for the
fix-ups, and more importantly, the amount of time it will take
to complete the job. Remember that the longer the project takes,
the more you'll be paying on your mortgage.
Once you have several firm quotes, double the amount of the
quote as a closer estimate to what you'll actually spend.
Unknown problems will be uncovered during the remodel and you'll
need to have some extra capital and have extra time available to
complete the job.
Once you complete the project, get the house back on the market!
And sell for a profit. Many people are successfully flipping
houses as you read this. And many are making huge profits. But
the first step is to start! So go buy a property and get it
fixed up. Good luck!