Past the flat roofs and basement water, here are four more things I check before writing an offer on a Baltimore rowhouse. **Downspouts that dump at the foundation are a choice someone made.** If the downspout stops two feet from the wall and the sidewalk pitches toward the house, every storm fee...
What's one thing you know now that you wish you knew before your first flip? Could be about contractors, financing, ARV, inspections, timelines, or anything else.
Personally, I underwrite every deal with a 20% contingency built in for unforeseen circumstances, which has saved me more than once. Do you build in a buffer as a percentage, a flat number, or just eat the overage when it happens?
I look at a lot of Memphis houses that investors are about to buy, and almost every expensive surprise I watch somebody walk into comes down to one distinction they didn't make. A house can be ugly. A house can be broken. They photograph identically and they are completely different investments. ...
When evaluating a fix & flip, how do you determine what financing structure makes the most sense? Do you start with: Purchase price → Rehab → ARV → Financing or do you establish your financing parameters before looking seriously at properties? What's your preferred approach?
I've been spending a lot more time looking into properties that need some serious renovations, and it's interesting seeing how differently investors approach them. I'm curious, when you're looking at a property that needs a lot of work, what's usually the biggest deciding factor for you? Is it th...
One of the easiest ways to hurt your margins is spending more on the property than the market will support. That luxury backsplash might look amazing—but will buyers actually pay more for it? Before upgrading, ask: Does this improve the property's appeal, or am I just increasing the budget? Where...
I've been curious about something lately. When I talk with investors who are actively flipping, some are finding deals that work really well, while others are passing on properties that would've looked attractive a year or two ago. And it's not always the purchase price. Sometimes it's the rehab ...
Hey BP Family, I'm an Investment Agent for an off market brokerage in Houston. Lately, I've been receiving mixed emotions from the investors and landlords I work with. On one hand, I receive feedback from investors saying that the market is too terrible to keep investing at the volume they once w...
Underwriting sanity check: 70% of BCAD minus repairs vs 70% of ARV minus repairs vs BRRRR backup - Am I double-conservative? Hey BP, Long-time lurker, first-time principal. I've been wholesaling / bird-dogging in San Antonio / New Braunfels and I've been underwriting super conservative to stay sa...
Beginner investor in a tough west coast market… Portland, OR. Exploring live-in flip as a way to raise capital, or maybe hold onto as a live-in BRRR. Not sure what numbers to run to see if it’ll make sense long run. Probably looking for a decent spread given the high home prices in my market. Wha...
An investor I work with told me this week that rates and property taxes have made it hard to find a deal that pencils. Fair complaint. The 30-year average hit 7.28% on October 1, highest since late 2023. But on a flip or a BRRRR you only pay the rate for the months you hold. You pay the price for...
As a private lender, the #1 reason loan approvals get stalled and draw requests get delayed isn't the property, it's a poorly written Scope of Work. Here is what separates a lender-approved SOW from one that gets sent back for revisions: The "Bad" SOW (What Delays Funding & Draws) Lump-Sum Quotes...
I have a 100 year old two flat in a great neighborhood. I'm looking to do some renovations inside & out. I have scope, budget and a clue. I have been my own GC many times. This one is too large for me to handle. Yet all the contractors want to take me for a ride. Promise me one thing and then wor...
A flip can look profitable on paper until you factor in what the money actually costs you. Before I’d look at a deal, I’d want to know: • Purchase price • Rehab budget • Holding costs • Financing costs • Expected selling costs • A realistic contingency for surprises Whether you’re using your own ...
One thing I think investors should look at before taking on capital is whether the funding actually matches the timeline of the project. A 3-month rehab and a 12-month project don’t necessarily need the same type of financing. Before using any funding, I’d look at: • How long the rehab should rea...
Buying in a Buyer's Market in San Antonio, And What Flippers Need to Do to Sell Fast! I’ve been buying and watching San Antonio investment property for a while, and this is one of the better buyer environments we’ve seen in years. That does not mean every property is a deal. It does not mean you ...
Hi everyone, I’m looking at a condo in Honolulu for a fix-and-flip project. The building is currently talking about a possible $70k special assessment for each unit. However, the assessment has not been approved or implemented yet. I’m trying to figure out how experienced investors would handle t...
One thing I’ve noticed with flips is that the original rehab budget and the final number don’t always look the same. Unexpected electrical, plumbing, foundation issues, change orders, contractor delays, or extra holding costs can eat into a deal pretty quickly. That’s why I think investors should...
Can you recommend pros in Denver, Centennial or Aurora CO to do some work on my single family rental this month (Oct 2026). Prepping it for a new tenant. Located off Buckley and Smoky Hill near Cherry Creek reservoir. Needs: install shower door Paint interior (1486 sq feet, 3 bdrm/2 bath) Remove ...
A lot of investors focus on the purchase price, rehab budget, and ARV, but holding costs can quietly eat into the profit. Before closing, I think it’s important to account for things like interest, utilities, insurance, taxes, maintenance, and the possibility that the project takes longer than ex...
A lot of deals look great on paper when everything goes according to plan. But what happens if the rehab takes longer than expected, permits get delayed, a contractor falls behind, or the property sits on the market for another 60–90 days? Those extra months can mean additional: • Loan payments •...
A lot of investors run the numbers based on everything going according to plan. But what happens if the property sits on the market longer than expected? Before getting into a flip, I think it’s important to know your backup strategy. Maybe that means adjusting the price, refinancing, renting tem...
Hi guys! If you’re investing in the Tampa Bay area and ever need an experienced local investor to run over to a property for you, give me a shout. Photos, walk-thrus, scopes of work, contractor meetings, project checks, milestone progress payment verifications, measurements, deliveries, or whatev...
Getting a unit rent-ready in Baltimore isn't about the paint. It's about the three things that quietly eat your margin between "tenant moved out" and "new lease signed." Here's what I keep seeing on West Baltimore rowhouses. 1. The trash-out. Most turnovers I see hold 2–4 truckloads of furniture,...