Real Estate Broker · Fort Myers, FL · Member since 2025 · 6 posts · 4 votes
Lately I’ve been walking through a lot of fix and flips here in Fort Myers, FL, and it’s really reinforced how much quality matters on these projects.
Some flips photograph beautifully, but once you’re inside you can tell when things were rushed or done just to get to the finish line. I get it, holding costs are real, insurance is brutal, and margins are not what they used to be. Still, the homes that really stand out are the ones where the investor slowed down just enough to do things right.
The better quality flips tend to feel solid when you walk them, move through inspections more smoothly, create fewer surprises for buyers, and age better over time.
It is not about over improving or using luxury finishes everywhere. It is about good workmanship and making smart choices on what actually matters.
Curious how others approach this in their markets. What are the areas you always prioritize quality on, even when costs are tight?
Lender · CA · Member since 2018 · 635 posts · 393 votes
8mo
I am not a flipper, but from actual personal experience (in the last two months) we did 2 things:
1) Had a large Airbnb in PHX that we wanted to sell and it did not show well...normal wear and tear from airbnb for 3+ years. We took it off market, poured some money into it, fixed up the pool, the landscaping, the kitchen, paint and a few other nice pieces. All in cost us about 2 weeks and $40k and we were able to increase price by more than the $40k we put into it and got multiple offers BEFORE we even put it back on market. (after it had been on market over 9 months mind you).
2) Just listed my primary a few days ago. My wife has meticulously updated every square inch of our home, and we had 4 offers (one over ask) and over 20 showings in 7 days on market. In December of 2025 in a down market, and for a price that would surprise most people familiar with our market right now (just went in contract a couple hours ago actually). I credit all of this to high quality finishes and actually doing quality work.
All that to say, I am going to test this again when I sell one of my rentals in April and am going to upgrade all the finishes and other things. I have so far found that I can at least recoup the additional cost of the upgrades and time, AND the houses sell sooo much faster even at the higher price because the buyer's don't have to deal with any of it. It is already handled.