Is that house you’re thinking of flipping?Here’s what you need to know

Not all homes are made the same. At any price point, every property you’re looking for has its strengths and weaknesses. This is even more true if you are considering a home recently refurbished by Flipper.

You don’t have to avoid the inverted property, but be careful when viewing the property.

House flipping isn’t new. In fact, Bankrate wrote an entire guide on how to do that a few years ago. However, as real estate prices have skyrocketed in the last 12-18 months, many have seen the opportunity to make immediate money by buying and repairing real estate and reselling it as the market adds value. rice field.

Experts warn that flipped homes can be more annoying to post-flip buyers, especially at low prices.

Stephanie Fix, a member of the National Association of Realtors for RE / MAX Professionals in Denver, said: “The recent margins of these investors are so slim that they are really cutting down a lot of corners.”

That reality has recently come to the forefront when Zillow withdrew from the home flip market. The online real estate giant put a lot of effort into strengthening the iBuying platform last year, but eventually decided to pay a lot for too many properties and went into loss reduction mode earlier this month. ..

Turn over the warning sign to be careful

According to the fix, the unsightly reversal is not always obvious, but a bad-looking finish can indicate a greater construction quality issue.

She recently said she toured a house where she found her kitchen drawers blocked by a refrigerator and turned over because the dishwasher wasn’t properly installed.

“If any of the surfaces I mentioned are missing, on the surface, tell me to pay attention to what’s behind the wall,” Fix said. “Most of the dangerous things are not always visible.”

Changes that appear to be in a hurry on the surface may indicate a larger problem, such as non-cord compliant electrical work or improperly installed plumbing. Addressing such issues can be costly, especially if you do not consider them in your budget.

What to do if you buy an upside down house

If you’re considering an upside-down home, it’s important to work with knowledgeable National Association of Realtors members, Fix said.

“Experienced agents probably have better eyes than buyers,” she said.

When she tours a suspected home that has been turned over, she checks the title management process to see who previously owned the home, contacting other agents in the network, and Check if you have purchased from flippers.

You can easily tell if a house is inside out by looking at the property records. If the home returns to the market just a few months after the new owner buys it, it could be inside out.

In the midst of a pandemic real estate boom, many buyers abandoned inspections and other contingencies on their contracts to make their offers more attractive. According to the fix, this is a particularly bad idea for inverted properties.

“These people usually don’t allow things,” she said, so it’s important to have an experienced inspector thoroughly inspect the property. “It will be really important to have a separate roof inspection from the sewer.”

Conclusion

An upside-down house may look up-to-date on the surface, but a new glossy finish can obscure the rough work. If you’re looking at a property that’s turned inside out, you should always inspect it thoroughly before closing it to secure money for any problems that may arise as a result of the refurbishment. Tight budget.