Last chance on a Flip
Troy BaackPro Member
Member since 2023 · 13 posts · 11 votesLast chance on a Flip
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Developer · Mesa, Maricopa County · Member since 2019 · 43 posts · 43 votes
1yNot meant to critique but we flip and sell a lot and here are some things that would probably help:
1. The listing has 9 pictures. You need a lot more pictures that showcase the great things about your house. No magic number but a minimum of 20 that showcase that great room, nice kitchen and yard.
2. The curb appeal. The first pic clearly shows weeds at the sidewalk. And the grey exterior doesn't pop. Grey and white is out, or should be used sparingly.
3. The interior is also grey and white. You can't change much of it now, but look up the best sale in the area, and copy what they did. Someone else already provided proof of concept, just copy them.
4. The pool is clearly dirty in the pics. Also the pics that highlight the powerlines... Not ideal
these might seem nitpicky, but I sell a lot of houses and buyers are nitpicky.
5. Price is the cure-all. But ideally you'll get more if you remedy the above 4. I also wouldn't use words like transformation in the listing of my flips. You're alluding to the house once being in poor condition. Use words that excite people like, upgrade, remodel etc.
6. Staging never hurts
10 Replies
- Realtor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2025 · 57 posts · 21 votes1y
Quote from @Troy Baack:
I am a partner on a flip in Phoenix, AZ. The hard money is coming due and we are still unable to find a buyer at any price. The property is in a great area and the flip was done very well adding a bedroom and modernizing everything. I am at my wits end with what to do on this to avoid losing everything on the deal. I've accepted that I will take a significant loss on this, and have already learned a ton from it, but I would like to reduce the total loss as much as possible. Any and all help is appreciated. Property is 3021 E Shangri La Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85028.
I hear you—this sounds like a tough situation, but you still have options to minimize your losses. We actually have an in-house realtor who specializes in selling flips and can list your property for just a 1% listing fee. Since they focus specifically on flips, they understand how to position the property to attract the right buyers quickly.
If you're open to it, shoot me a text to go over your options and get the property listed right away. Let me know how you'd like to proceed!
- Developer · Mesa, Maricopa County · Member since 2019 · 43 posts · 43 votes1y
Not meant to critique but we flip and sell a lot and here are some things that would probably help:
1. The listing has 9 pictures. You need a lot more pictures that showcase the great things about your house. No magic number but a minimum of 20 that showcase that great room, nice kitchen and yard.
2. The curb appeal. The first pic clearly shows weeds at the sidewalk. And the grey exterior doesn't pop. Grey and white is out, or should be used sparingly.
3. The interior is also grey and white. You can't change much of it now, but look up the best sale in the area, and copy what they did. Someone else already provided proof of concept, just copy them.
4. The pool is clearly dirty in the pics. Also the pics that highlight the powerlines... Not ideal
these might seem nitpicky, but I sell a lot of houses and buyers are nitpicky.
5. Price is the cure-all. But ideally you'll get more if you remedy the above 4. I also wouldn't use words like transformation in the listing of my flips. You're alluding to the house once being in poor condition. Use words that excite people like, upgrade, remodel etc.
6. Staging never hurts
I totally agree with Kyle on every point he makes. Follow his advice to the letter, and do it this week to go along with your price decrease. I am a flipper/investor who has sold many properties, frequently direct to the buyer.
Staging would be super helpful. If you are out of money on this, it's time for creativity and elbow grease! This includes detailing the front yard (with no weeds at all!) Staging the backyard with a pristinely clean pool (no photos of the power lines!) and seating so buyers can imagine how they might live in the space. Buyers can't picture this stuff. You need to SHOW it to them. (If you don't have outdoor furniture - borrow it from some friends in trade for babysitting.) In the back yard shaded area near that back door is another area perfect for a chair, a table, a small outdoor rug and a glass of wine next to an apple or some grapes on the table. Like Kyle says, look at how others have staged. Close ups of the washer, the dryer, the awesome kitchen faucet, the light fixtures, a closeup of the gleam of light along the new counters next to two cups of coffee. Can you capture the sunrise or sunset view? Pictures, pictures, pictures, especially in morning light.
Indoor staging needn't be costly. Perfectly folded towels in the bathroom with a small faux plant. A bowl of lemons on the kitchen counter. A nice looking desk and a chair (Borrowed from your own house) and a faux potted plant in a bedroom that suggests the perfect office.
All of these small details can increase value and bring buyers for zero dollars.
If you can't take gorgeous photos, find a friend who can. You definitely need some WOW factor in play here!
- Realtor · Phoenix AZ, USA · Member since 2023 · 209 posts · 81 votes1y
I agree with @Kyle Gardner as well.
Main points I see are:- You need professional photos with editing. If you could clean the pool and get rid of the weeds in the front that would be great but editing can fix some of that.
- If you can't afford to stage, virtual staging some photos is a good idea.
- On this one it's hard for buyers to see what they're going to do with all of that living room space so some virtual staging helps paint the picture.
- Lastly, the colors are basic and I think we're seeing a shift where buyers aren't just wanting the black/white kitchens anymore, maybe try to find some accent pieces you can add in for cheap. Not much you can do now outside of pricing and putting in the listing if you're open to offering concessions to get a buyer.
- Member since 2023 · 13 posts · 11 votes1yI agree. I was originally supposed to be a money partner only, though it has progressed to the point that I am having to step in to prevent as much loss as possible. I am working to get all of the numbers straight and potentially extend or move to a new lender to push this through.
Quote from @Kyle Gardner:
Not meant to critique but we flip and sell a lot and here are some things that would probably help:
1. The listing has 9 pictures. You need a lot more pictures that showcase the great things about your house. No magic number but a minimum of 20 that showcase that great room, nice kitchen and yard.
2. The curb appeal. The first pic clearly shows weeds at the sidewalk. And the grey exterior doesn't pop. Grey and white is out, or should be used sparingly.
3. The interior is also grey and white. You can't change much of it now, but look up the best sale in the area, and copy what they did. Someone else already provided proof of concept, just copy them.
4. The pool is clearly dirty in the pics. Also the pics that highlight the powerlines... Not ideal
these might seem nitpicky, but I sell a lot of houses and buyers are nitpicky.
5. Price is the cure-all. But ideally you'll get more if you remedy the above 4. I also wouldn't use words like transformation in the listing of my flips. You're alluding to the house once being in poor condition. Use words that excite people like, upgrade, remodel etc.
6. Staging never hurts
- 1yJeremy HoldenBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2021 · 156 posts · 90 votes
Hey Troy, reach out to me, i have a large network of investors. We might be able to get this moved.
- Member since 2025 · 6 posts · 0 votes1y
Hey Troy,
Sorry to hear you're in this situation. I hope that you find your way out soon! I've unfortunately been in the exact same position not far away from you for about 3 years now (1748 E Monte Vista, Phoenix, AZ 85006). I was also the money partner on a "4 month flip" that we couldn't get to move.
I just wanted to advise exercising caution while considering options to get out from under this. I got desperate to unload my house, and took a creative offer which rewarded me with a handful of squatters turning the property into a crackhouse / homeless encampment. Over a year and several lawyer fees/mortgage payments later, I'm starting from less than scratch again with no partner, 2000 miles away from where I currently live.
The tips I've read here are fantastic, and I'll be applying them during my rebuild as well. I just wanted to share my experience with hopes that as many people as possible can avoid the nightmare that I've been through. Best of luck to you, sir. Let this be a great turnaround year for all of us!
- 1yPatrick O'SullivanBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2024 · 542 posts · 208 votes
Hey Troy, sorry you’re going through this—it’s a tough spot, but it’s clear you’re doing everything you can to turn it around. Props to you for stepping in and being proactive.
You’ve already gotten a lot of great tactical advice in this thread. I’ll just add a couple thoughts that might help squeeze some extra traction out of your efforts:
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Reposition the Listing: Sometimes relaunching with new photos, updated staging (even virtual), and a refreshed listing description can make it feel like a “new” property to buyers who might’ve passed the first time around.
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Targeted Investor Outreach: If it hasn’t moved on the retail side, you might start running the numbers for it as a rental or mid-term rental and package it as a turnkey opportunity. There are buyers out there looking for finished homes, especially in desirable zip codes, even if they aren't flippers.
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Temporary Refinance or Bridge Loan: If you’ve got equity and just need breathing room, a short-term refi could buy you time to market more effectively—especially if you can drop holding costs even slightly.
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Rent-to-Own or Lease Option: In certain situations, this can help attract someone who’s in between buying and renting—though you’ll want to vet the legal side thoroughly before going this route.
Totally understand that this one’s been a heavy lift, but you’re clearly learning a ton and staying level-headed, which will only make you stronger for the next deal. Wishing you a good outcome on this one—keep us posted.
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- Member since 2020 · 18 posts · 4 votes1y
Troy, what did you do? I too lost over $40K on my flip at 6554 E dallas in Mesa. Zillow shows you sold in March and "they" relisted in May for $80K more. No weeds are shown and many more photos are now available.
My contractor wanted to go cheap on the paint, we argued a lot. So, it was all white inside and all one sheen, eggshell. (if looking at photos, they were modified to look 2 tone) I guess after reading what folks said about your white/ grey, it is ok to go one color but at least change sheen on ceiling vs. walls. But if you are going to change sheen, might as well change color too? Sorry, getting off subject.
- Real Estate Broker · Coppell, TX · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes1y
I didn't see your post originally, but notice it is Pending now, so congratulations.
What changes did you make? What difference was made to get you over the finish line?
Teach us what you would do differently next time?
Maybe it was out of your control, but one thing weird to me, is you came here for expert advise, much was given, but from what I can see none taken/implemented???
For others I think I would have the lead picture the pool and entertainment space. That all might be standard in Paradise Valley, but that is what catches my eye about this house. That and your kitchen. Probably the six pictures of the front look pretty generic and generally not exciting, plus you just get lumped in with the front of every other house in the neighborhood. So when buyers are surfing these days it is click click click, shifting thru listings. You want to make them stop on yours. So when they see generic front, generic front, ugly paint, generic front with cars in the drive, generic front, POOL. They stop perhaps and look at your listing. Then they see the beautiful kitchen on picture 2. Now you have hooked them perhaps/hopefully.
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