Worst FIRST FLIP: LOST OVER 100k

Worst FIRST FLIP: LOST OVER 100k

Investor · Sacramento · Member since 2020 · 47 posts · 67 votes

Investment Info:

Single-family residence fix & flip investment in Sacramento.

Purchase price: $350,000
Cash invested: $50,000
Sale price: $415,000

It was the worst first flip because we hired the wrong contractor who wasn't licensed. Ended up losing close to $100k including rehab, holding, commission costs.

Definitely the best learning experience on what not to do.

Since then, I have upgraded my own house.Learned to do cosmetic changes myself so i can be ready for my next flip. It's been a year and I have cash saved up to invest again :) 

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

BiggerPockets inspired me go out and get into flipping ..

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

Myhousedeals.com

Negotiated it myself. It was a good buy- we just messed up on the rehab part.

How did you finance this deal?

Conventional financing. I am a loan officer so it was cheap to finance.

How did you add value to the deal?

We wanted to give it cosmetic changes but the contractor had plans of his own. He left the house in a worse condition than we bought it in.

What was the outcome?

Lost over 100k in holding, labor, rehab costs. Sold it to another more experienced investor in the area through a wholesaler.

We couldn't sell it through conventional ways because it was not going to get any type of conventional financing.

Lessons learned? Challenges?

Watch the contractors- only hire licensed recommended contractors. Be at the sight every day, buy the material yourself, don't be afraid to do the work yourself. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE WITH YOUR MONEY.

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JD MartinBusiness Member
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Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
6y

I'm a little confused by your numbers. You say purchase of $350, 50 in rehab, sold for $415. That's $15k to the plus side. I assume you must be leaving things out if you lost $100k. 

Skyline Properties
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  • New to Real Estate · Central California · Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    5y

    Sorry to hear that you went through this but happy you learned from the experience. Will definitely keep what you went through in mind as I get started in my journey. 

  • Member since 2020 · 217 posts · 167 votes
    5y
    Klran,
    Also sorry you paid for a very expensive lesson. Need to understand:
    Your purchase price       350
    Your rehab costs             50
    Projected sales price     415

    If the above is correct, it's WAY to thin. A lot of the rehabers want $30k min or 20% of the ARV (hopefully the sales price) before going in... including all costs, holding, financing, etc., etc.
    As for just getting the wrong contractor, that sucks, and I'm sure you'll qualify the next one a LOT better. Even consider splitting things up... hire one guy for overall, might clean up any construction, new doors, kitchens, baths, etc. Perhaps another guy for the floor, another for the paint.  More work on your part, but more control.
    Have a clause that you can fire for any reason. Have a penalty clause for late or poor performance. (but have a bonus for good performance). Get references, look at their license and insurance.
    You probably know all of this now.
    I love to rehab and flip, but don't do it anymore as I just don't need it. But there's a satisfaction of a good job done and a healthy check in the bank.
  • Member since 2020 · 201 posts · 118 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Kent Leach:

    Very brave of you to share this experience. These forums are a great place to seek wisdom, but they are not the same as real experience. Newbies, be careful. We stand on the brink of another huge recession. There will be opportunities, but the experienced investors know what to look for. Consider partnering or passively investing with an experienced investor until you are ready.

    Yes, there were 900k jobless claims last week. 

  • China, ME · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    5y

    @KIran K.  One suggestion for anyone in this situation.  Rather than give it to a wholesaler, list it with a Realtor.

    Wholesalers make their money by marking up your property and selling their contract to another buyer.  That means that you could also have sold it at the same price to that same buyer. 

    By exposing the property to a MUCH wider audience through the MLS, it's highly likely that you would have found someone to pay more.

    Just because a property isn't up to VA/FHA/USDA standards doesn't mean it's unsalable. It just means that a buyer can't use those loan programs. But there are other loan programs out there - conventional (all major systems have to function), hard money, portfolio lending and FHA 203(k) rehab loans.

    You could minimize your losses by going this route.  Maybe even turn a profit.

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